PATIENT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM/TAXONOMY
FOR THE MEDIUM CARE PAEDIATRIC UNIT
van Spronsen,
C.Th, Pool, R, Kool, N, Manaï, B, de Laat,
P.C.J.
Department of
Paediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Centre/Sophia Children's Hospital,
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Introduction:
The
Medium Care Paediatrics (MC-P) in Sophia Children's Hospital is using a
method to measure the workload of nurses. This experience asks for a
development of a patient classification system that is applicable for the
MC-P units. The already existing ICU classification system cannot be
applied on the non intensive MC-P Units. It measures mainly medical
interventions than interventions of care.
Goal:
The
developed instrument of patient classification is a method to attune
provision of care to demand of care. The practice of nursing should be
attended by a system that encodes and sorts work. It shows how staff should
give the quality of care in a desirable way. The patients are estimated at
the sort and amount of care which they actually get under normal
circumstances. The result is that it shows the nursing workload in a valid
way.
Description of the method contents:
The
classification can be used as well in a prospective and retrospective way.
It analyses the average of care load and a general policy can be made. The
longitudinal analyse is fundamental for the MC-P Units. The difficulty with
optimal staffing is the expected and unexpected fluctuations in the demand
of care. The fluctuations are inherent in the specialism of Paediatrics and
cannot be avoided by the patient admission policy. The nursing care is
systematically scored in 4 categories on different levels. The outcome of
this method defines the complexity of care. The patient classification
system performs on the standards of a similar system: validity,
reliability, user-friendly and possibility for planning.