A Tool for Calculating the Nursing Staff at Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Nursing care management implies the use of methods and tools that make it possible, in a practical way, to estimate the patient’s needs and to help plan the respective human and technical resources and requirements. Objective: To identify the usefulness of the NTISS (Neonatal Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System) in calculating the nursing staff for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit at the Clinica Universitaria Bolivariana (Bolivarian University Clinic) in Medellín, Colombia. Methodo: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted in April 2007. The sample was comprised of the neonates admitted to and hospitalized in both facilities. The instrument was applied at the end of every shift. A sample with 384 instruments was calculated (unknown ratio and a reliability interval of 0.5). Cronbach’s alpha was used to measure the internal consistency of the instrument (0.8). Results: A total of 425 instruments were completed and collected for 22 neonates. Respiratory illnesses were the most frequent pathology. The total score of the NTISS analyzed for the study was 5200, with an average of 12.3, which is equivalent to 123 minutes of nursing work per six-hour shift. As for the total number of interventions, 62% are assigned to nurses, 22% to auxiliary nurses and 16% to respiratory therapists. It was estimated that four nurses are required for every six-hour shift in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit. Conclusions: NTISS is a useful tool to estimate the nursing staff and to help improve processes for nursing care management.