Nursing activities score: What is the ideal periodicity for assessing workload?

Abstract

Objective: To compare the workload obtained from the Nursing Activities Score (NAS), rated three times a day, at the end of each work shift, and scored once per day for a 24-hour period. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study with adults hospitalized at an intensive care center, from a highly complex public hospital in southern Brazil. The data collection was conducted using the Epimed Monitor®. In the first period of the study (Period 1), the mean NAS score was obtained using three daily evaluations, and in the second period (Period 2) the NAS was scored once per day. The comparison of the variables was verified using the Mann Whitney and student t-test. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution. Results: During the study, 1738 NAS evaluations were performed on 338 patients. The mean NAS score was 74±20.9% for the total number of patients. There was no difference between the mean of Period 1 (74.1±20.8%) and the mean of Period 2 (73.9 ± 21%) (p=0.806). Period 2 had more evaluations in the NAS category ≤50% and fewer evaluations in the NAS category 50.1-100%, as compared to Period 1 (p<0.001 and p=0.029, respectively). Conclusion: The mean NAS score was similar when comparing assessments conducted three-times-per-day with the one performed once a day, assessing the nursing workload based on the previous 24 hours.