Assessment of the nursing workload in intensive care units following cardiac surgery using the nursing activities score in relation to regulations in Serbia

Introduction. The Nursing Activities Score is used to quantify, assess, and identify the workload of nurses in intensive care units, and is widely considered a very effective, simple, standardized measurement scale, sufficiently detailed to be implemented in everyday hospital practice. The aim of the study is to evaluate the workload of nurses using the results of the Nursing Activities Score and compare the nurse-to-patient ratio with regulations in our country. Material and Methods. The study included 131 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in the period from November 1 to November 30, 2021. Surgical data and corresponding Nursing Activities Score values were obtained from hospital information system. In the intensive care unit, nursing activities were monitored and scored daily. Results. Using the Nursing Activities Score, 344 measurements were recorded in the study sample. The mean Nursing Activity Score was 88.27 ? 3.63, and the highest was 102.97 ? 1.89 on the first postoperative day. The nurse-to-patient ratio was 1.03:1 on the first postoperative day, and about 0.8:1 on the second and third postoperative days. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean Nursing Activities Score between postoperative days (p < 0.0005) between the first and second day (102.96 vs. 79.46) and the first and third day (103.46 vs. 83.58). Conclusion. On the first postoperative day, the optimal number of nurses according to the Nursing Activities Score is higher compared to the State Regulations, while for the rest of the days in the intensive care unit the nurse-to-patient ratio corresponds to the regulations.