OBJECTIVES: To assess nursing workload in the post-anesthesia care unit and its potential correlations with a surgical severity index, length of stay, magnitude of surgery, and patient age. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted at a university hospital. Workload was assessed by the Nursing Activities Score, and severity of illness, by the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II. Both were assessed at the time of discharge from the unit. RESULTS: The study sample comprised 160 patients (mean age, 57 ± 15 years). The median nursing workload was 45.6 minutes per hour, i.e. 50% of patients required 45.6 minutes of nursing care per hour spent in the post-anesthesia care unit. There was no association between workload and severity index. However, there were positive correlations among workload, length of stay, and magnitude of surgery. The severity of illness was correlated with age. CONCLUSION: Nursing workload in the post-anesthesia care unit is influenced by length of stay and magnitude of surgery.
Nursing staff; Nursing care; Perioperative nursing; Workload; Severity of illness index
