Case mix type as a predictor of nursing workload

Abstract

In the current health care service, the need to measure nursing workload has become the subject of major debate. Attempts have been made to relate workload and nurse staffing, however, despite there being systems for this there appears to be no single recognized formula. Case mix groups have been advocated as a useful tool for measuring nursing workload, particularly in Canada where work continues. Case mix groups work on the basis that patients who are clinically similar and use equivalent resources are grouped using procedure and diagnostic codes. The retrospective study examines the relationship between case mix, resource utilization and nursing effort to determine whether future workload could be predicted using these parameters. The sample included 798 patients and 30 nurses over the period 1993-1994 with analysis of data from the Patient Administration System (PAS) and TEAMWORK, which purports to measure nurse workload. Results showed that there was little relationship between nursing workload and case mix grouping and recommendations are made for future research.