Resource use of geriatric nurses due to documentation practices: A cross-sectional study of applied recording techniques in nursing homes

Abstract

Aim: To compare recent compliance cost estimates by nurses of German nursing homes who employ the new documentation approach structural model with those who use traditional documentation frameworks. Design: A cross-sectional survey. Methods: For each documentation approach, five sub-processes were surveyed employing standard activities. The postal and online surveys were based on the same self-administered questionnaire. The measures addressed time investments and further costs to carry out the components of nursing documentation. Data were collected from a convenience sample of nurses (n = 264) from German nursing homes between October 2018 and June 2019. Results: The analysed sub-processes consume between 26 min and 8 hr per fulfilment. For users of the structural model, collecting information on a new admission is the costliest part of the documentation, at €90 per case. For users of other documentation approaches, care planning requires the most expensive effort, at €130 per case.