The development and management uses of a patient classification system for a high-risk perinatal center.
A patient classification system for a labor and delivery unit, a maternal-fetal intensive care unit, and an antepartum monitored unit is a complex but necessary component for staffing units with frequently changing patient census and varying patient acuity. This article describes the processes used to develop such a classification system and to predict staffing needs, in advance, in four-hour time blocks in the labor and delivery unit and in eight-hour time frames in the maternal-fetal intensive care unit and the antepartum monitored unit. The article also identifies direct nursing care and indirect nursing care activities and defines the levels of care needed.
Freitas
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CA
Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Honolulu, HI 96826.
Helmer
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FT
Cousins
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N
D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008499:Medical Records; D009773:Obstetric Nursing; D010361:Patients / Q000145:classification*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors