A gap between Need and Reality: Neonatal Nursing Staff Requirements on a German Intensive Care Unit
نویسندگان
چکیده
Recently, new staffing rules for neonatal nurses in intensive care units (ICU) were issued in Germany, using categories of care of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine as blueprint. Neonates on intensive care require a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:1, on intensive surveillance (high dependency care) of 1:2. No requirements exist for special care, transitional care, and pediatric ICU patients. Using these rules, nursing staff requirement was calculated over a period of 31 consecutive days once a day in a combined pediatric and neonatal ICU of a metropolitan academic medical center in southwest Germany. Each day, 18.9±0.98 patients (mean±standard deviation) were assessed (14.26±1.21 neonatal, 4.65±0.98 pediatric). Among neonates, 9.94±2.56 received intensive therapy, 3.77±1.85 intensive surveillance, and 0.65±0.71 special care. Average nursing staff requirement was 12.10±1.81 full time equivalents (FTE) per shift. Considering additional pediatric patients in the ICU and actual nursing staff availability (8.97±0.87 FTE per shift), this ICU seems understaffed.
منابع مشابه
Estimation of Working Hours of Nursing Staff in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: A Work Sampling
Background: Human resources are considered the most valuable capital of every healthcare system, and the quality of care is closely related to the quantity and skill of this group. Therefore, the proper estimation of the required nursing staff in different wards can help improve the quality of nursing care. The purpose of this study was to determine the hours of provided care by nursing staff i...
متن کاملExperiences of the Iranian Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses in Implementing Family-Centered Care: Walking on an Insecure Foundation
Background: Most of the nurses have accepted family-centered care (FCC) as a standard model of care; however, they meet difficulties using this model. The aim of this study was to explore the perception of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nurses about the implementation of FCC.Methods: This qualitative study was carried out on 11 in-service NICU nurses with at least three years of work exper...
متن کاملThe Correlation between Attachment Behaviors and Fear Of COVID-19 in Mothers with Neonates Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Hospitals Under the Supervision of Iran University of Medical Sciences in the Covid-19 Pandemic 2021
Background and Aim: Infant hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) causes loss or delay in maternal and infant attachment. On the other hand, quarantine and the limits of social distancing during the Covid 19 virus epidemic have psychological consequences, including an increased fear of Covid 19 infection. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between attach...
متن کاملAssessing the Performance of Nurses in the Proper Adjustment of Monitoring Instruments in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Background: Monitoring serves to maintain physiologic variables within normal limits and when a parameter crosses a set threshold, an alarm is triggered. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether alarm limits are properly adjusted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by nursing staff or not.Methods: The data concerning alarm limits corresponding to the three shifts of nursing...
متن کاملHome-based Care Needs of Preterm Infants Discharged Early from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Descriptive Qualitative Study
Background: Prematurity could result in the long admission of the neonate to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and development of some complications for both mother and newborn. The early discharge programs make the neonatal transference to home much easier and are beneficial to both parents and newborns. However,there are limited studies investigating the real needs of the preterm neonat...
متن کامل