Learning Objective #1: Understand important nursing activities according to the patient's classification

Learning Objective #2: Make a management plan of nursing staff arrangement as the patient's nursing needs

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the contents and workloads of nursing activities according to the patients' classification. Methods: The subject hospital was a tertiary hospital located in Seoul, Korea. The data were collected by self-reporting checklist for 4 weeks. The nurses who were working in the hospital checked nursing activities during their duties according to the checklist instructions. The nursing activities were classified into 16 categories; clinical measurement (including the lab testing), medication, education, bedside care, respiration care, operation related care, nutrition care, elimination care, exercise, sleep, body temperature management, hygiene care, safety care, communication, spiritual care, and emergency care. The patients' classification system was developed by Korean Clinical Nurses' Association (1990). The system consisted of 4 levels, the more increasing level, and the more increasing patients' disease intensity. The data were analyzed using SAS 8.0 program for descriptive statistics. Results: The major results of this study were as follows. In the patients' classification level I, the most time consuming nursing activity was a clinical measurement (46.47min/duty). The next was medication (19.50min/duty), safety care (6.98min/duty), communication (5.72min/duty), and patient education (5.15min/duty). In level II, clinical measurement (72.41min/duty), medication (31.03min/duty), safety care (9.05min/duty), bedside care (6.87min/duty), and exercise (7.30min/duty). In level III, clinical measurement (94.12min/duty), medication (35.20min/duty), elimination care (15.35min/duty), exercise (14.99min/duty), and respiration care (14.65min/duty). In level IV, clinical measurement (80.14min/duty), respiration care (33.89min/duty), medication (23.42min/duty), exercise (20.14min/duty), and nutrition care (15.89min/duty). Conclusion: According to the patients' classification level, the contents of nursing activities which were consuming more time and were done more frequently than other activities were identified. So these results will be used to manage and arrange nursing staffs more reasonably in unit management aera. And also these will contribute to developing nursing activity standards based on patients' nursing needs.