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Allocation of nursing time

C Lemonidou1, C Plati, H Brokalaki

  • 1University of Athens, Department of Nursing, Greece.

Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences
|January 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Registered nurses (RNs) and assistant nurses (ANs) spend most of their time on indirect patient care. Findings suggest a need for better time management to increase efficiency in nursing activities.

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Area of Science:

  • Nursing
  • Healthcare Management
  • Time Allocation Studies

Background:

  • Efficient allocation of nursing time is crucial for quality patient care and healthcare system performance.
  • Understanding how nurses spend their time informs resource management and workflow optimization.
  • Previous studies have explored nursing time allocation, but specific comparisons between registered and assistant nurses require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the distribution of nursing time among registered nurses (RNs) and assistant nurses (ANs) during day shifts.
  • To identify the primary activities consuming nursing time in medical and surgical hospital wards.
  • To compare the time allocation patterns between RNs and ANs.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study involving 23 RNs and 18 ANs across five large hospitals.
  • Data collection focused on the day shift, categorizing nursing activities.
  • Time spent on direct care, indirect care, personal activities, and direct nursing interventions was recorded.

Main Results:

  • Indirect care constituted the largest portion of nursing time (35.6%), followed by direct care (23.8%).
  • RNs spent more time on indirect care (62.1 activities) than ANs (32.6 activities), while ANs engaged more in direct care (27.5 activities) than RNs (25.3 activities).
  • Minimal time was allocated to education (1.3%) and research (0.0%), with many indirect care tasks handled by non-nursing staff.

Conclusions:

  • Nursing time is predominantly occupied by indirect care activities, with variations between RNs and ANs.
  • Current time allocation may not be optimal, with significant portions dedicated to non-nursing tasks and minimal focus on education and research.
  • Nurse managers should streamline workflows to reduce subsidiary tasks and improve the efficient distribution of nursing time.

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