The strategy was to implement a process by which a valid acuity tool could aid in the decision making of staffing and patient assignment. The goal was to leverage the latest technology, increase objectivity,and decrease the need for additional effort from staff in determining an acuity and staffing program that electronicaly calculates a patient's acuity by pulling data from the electornic health record and mapping it to thousands of data points associated with identified nursing outcomes met that goal. The implementation process included key stakeholders from multiple levels of the organization including directors, finance, nursing, and information technology experts. There were several training sessions for the nursing staff that would be impacted directly by the implemenation of the system. A secondary process of implementation was the identification of super-users and acuity auditors whom meet on a quaterly basis.
Data was collected from each inpatient unit before and after implementation of the electronic acuity and staffing program which demonstrated improvement with the utilization of the system. The data showed an improvement in productivity, improved staffing at the bedside, a decrease in sick time, double time and overtime. Productivity percentages improved from 65-85% to 95-105%, the ideal outcome and realized cost savings.
Nationwide hospitals would like to achieve a goal of knowing the right number of nurses to have, how to efficiently manage their schedules, and optimize the resources available to meet the needs of the patient population. Technology allows for nursing and finance to collaborate to meet this goal.