Time spent by the multidisciplinary team in home care: subsidy for the sizing of staff

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/19820194201500007 Secretaria do Estado de Saúde do Distrito Federal, Brasília, DF, Brazil. Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil. Conflicts of interest: no conflicts of interest to declare. Abstract Objective: To analyze the time spent by the health multidisciplinary team assisting patients in home care. Methods: An exploratory descriptive study that included 214 patients. After defining the main procedures, they were timed by trained observers who collected the data in 2009 and 2010. In total, 245 home visits and 441 procedures were observed. Results: Among the procedures categorized as direct assistance, the highlight was the time spent by the nursing staff, of 30.2 hours, followed by physiotherapists with 11.9h, dieticians with 9.4h and physicians with 8.9h. Indirect care was represented by the displacement of staff and guidance to the caregiver, family and/or patient, which consumed 65.3 hours and 20.3h, respectively. Conclusion: The analysis of time spent in home care revealed the complexity of this model of care and the potentiality to subsidize the sizing of staff, as well as the reorganization of the service.