title: A collaborative assessment of workload and patient care needs in four rehabilitation facilities.
abstract: This article describes the process used by nurse executives at four freestanding rehabilitation facilities to implement and validate an interactive patient classification system. The research process involved defining critical indicators, measuring workloads by level of staff, and validating the number of care hours for the levels of patient classification. The database enabled the four consortium members to share their knowledge, resources, and costs of implementing a patient classification system, and it provides a benchmark of rehabilitation services. The study data are being used in making staffing decisions, preparing and defending budgets, and identifying the cost of care by disability classification.
authors.affiliation: MossRehab Hospital, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Heinzer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radwanski
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D009745:Nursing, Supervisory / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010562:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D019145:Rehabilitation Nursing; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload