ABSTRACT
Objectives
To evaluate the mean nursing workload obtained through the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and extract the degree of dependency of patients using Perroca’s Patient Classification System (PCS).
Methods
Prospective study conducted at the intensive care unit of a private hospital that is a center of reference in oncology. The instruments were applied daily in a sample of 40 patients with a minimum stay of 24 hours.
Results
Two hundred and seventy-seven measurements were performed with the instruments. The NAS mean was 69.8% (± 24.1%) and Perroca’s Patient Classification System score was 22.7% (± 4.2%). The hours of care found by averaging NAS were almost twice those estimated by Perroca’s, showing a difference of 7.3 hours.
Conclusion
The direct instrument NAS was more appropriate to measure nursing workload when compared to Perroca’s indirect instrument in the studied intensive care unit.
Nursing; Intensive care units; Nursing staff
Source: Research data, 2014.