Quantitative optimization of emergency department’s nurses of an educational hospital: a case study
Journal Title: Electronic Physician - Year 2017, Vol 9, Issue 2
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Nurses account for the majority of human resources in hospitals, as such that 62% of the workforce and 36% of hospital expenditures are related to nurses. Considering its vital role in offering round-the-clock emergency healthcare services, an Emergency Department (ED) requires adequate nurses. Therefore, this study was conducted to optimize the number of nurses in ED. METHODS: This was an applied study conducted using a Linear Programming (LP) model in 2015. The study population were selected by census who were all ED nurses (n=84) and patients referred to ED (n=3342). To obtain the statistics related to the number of patients and nurses, the hospital information system and human resources database were employed respectively. To determine the optimum number of nurses per shift, LP model was created via literature review and expert advice, and it was executed in WinQSB software. RESULTS: Before implementing the model, the number of nurses required for ED morning shift, evening shift, and night shift (2 shifts) was 26, 24 and 34 respectively. The optimum number of nurses who worked in ED after running the model was 62 nurses, 17 in the morning shift, 17 in the evening shift and 28 in the night shift (2 shifts). This reduced to 60 nurses after conducting sensitivity analysis. CONCLUSION: The estimated number of nurses using LP was less than the number of nurses working in ED. This discrepancy can be reduced by scientific understanding of factors affecting allocation and distribution of nurses in ED and flexible organization, to reach the optimal point
Authors and Affiliations
Mohammad Hosein Mehrolhasani, Ali Mouseli, Zahra Mastaneh
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP317802
- DOI 10.19082/3803
- Views 88
- Downloads 0
The Effect of Extended Injection of Subcutaneous Heparin on Pain Intensity and Bruising Incidence
BACKGROUND: Reducing patients' pain is one of the main goals of providing clinical services, which requires nursing skill. As a simple technique, increasing the duration of subcutaneous heparin injection may affect the i...
Challenges of OSCE national board exam in Iran from participants’ perspective
BACKGROUND: The national board exam for residents in Iran is held in two parts: Multiple-choice and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). The OSCE is a suitable method for evaluation of residents' clinical qu...
Prevalence of postoperative pressure ulcer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: A pressure ulcer is a serious safety issue in healthcare systems. The patient's rate of infection with an ulcer, especially a postoperative ulcer, is critical, as it is dictated by factors such as being in...
Key success factors of health research centers: A mixed method study
BACKGROUND: In order to achieve success in future goals and activities, health research centers are required to identify their key success factors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to extract and rank the factors affecting t...
Etiology of gastrointestinal bleeding in children referred to pediatric wards of Mashhad hospitals, Iran
BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, which has several clinical manifestation and origins, is known as one of the most life-threatening events in children. Several etiologies have been suggested for GI bleeding....