OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nursing workload in an adult intensive care unit (ICU), and to describe the profile of patients admitted to that unit. METHODS: A descriptive study using the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) for 33 days in an ICU with a capacity of 18 beds. RESULTS: 574 observations were obtained from the registry of 107 patients, and the mean NAS score was 62.2%. CONCLUSION: The NAS is in an important tool for measuring nursing workload in ICUs, as it considers various nursing activities performed in daily care. We stress the importance of its application on the everyday life of the nurse.
Workload; Intensive care units; Nursing staff; Hospitals, teaching; Nursing assessment
