J Nurs Acad Soc.  1986 Dec;16(3):108-122.

A Study of Staffing Estimation for Nursing Manpower Demand in Hospital

• Kim YK

Abstract

Changing concepts of health care, are stimulating the demand for health care, thereby orienting society to health care rights to such an extent that they are deemed as fundamental ones inalienable to man. Concomitantly, qualitative as well as quantative improvement is being sought in the nursing service field. Today, efforts are being made in various areas, especially to qualitatively improve nursing services. A second issue concerns proper staffing. It is important to study staffing, in as much as it continues to be the most persistent and critical problem facing hospital nursing administrators today. It involves quantity, quality, and utlization of nursing personnel A great deal of attention has been focused on this problem since mid 1930's when nursing services began to be felt as an important segment of hospital operation representing the largest single item of hospital budgets. Tra ditionally, the determination and allocation of nursing personnel resources has relied heavily on gloval approaches which make use of fixed staff-to-patient ratios. It has long been recognized that these ratios are insensitive to variations between institutions and among individual patients. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to point to the urgent need for the development of methodology and criteria suited to the reality of Korea. The present research selected one place, the W Christian Hospital, and was conducted over a period 10 days from January, and nurses who were them on duty in then unit. The total number of patients surveyed was 1,426 and that of 354. The research represents many variables affecting the direct patient care time using the result from the direct observation method, then using a calculation method to estimate the relationship between the patients care time and selected variables in the hospital setting. The amount of direct patient care time varies with many factors, such as the patients age, diagnosis and time in hospital. Differences are also found from hosptal, clinic to clinic, ward to ward, and even shift to shift. In this research, the calculation method of estimating the required member of nursing staff is obtained by dividing the time of productive patient care activity(with the time of patient care observed), by the sum of the productive time that each the staff can supply, i.e., 360 minutes, which is obtained by deducting the time for personal activities. The results indicate a substantial difference between the time of productive patient care observed directing and the time of the productive patient care estimated using calculating method. If we know accurately the time of the direct patient care on a shift, there required number of staff members calculated if the proper method can be determinded should be able the time of the direct patient care be estimated by the patient classification system, but this research has shown this system to be in accurate in Korea. There are differences in the recommended time of productive patient care and the required number of nursing staff depending upon which method is used. The calculated result is not very accurate, 90 more research is needed on the patient classification system.

MeSH Terms

Administrative Personnel
Budgets
Classification
Delivery of Health Care
Diagnosis
Human Rights
Humans
Korea
Nursing Services
Nursing Staff
Nursing*
Patient Care