[Evaluation of the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) as a nursing workload measurement tool in an adult ICU].
This is an exploratory, descriptive, prospective field study with a quantitative approach carried out at a general/adult Intensive Care Unit in the city of São Paulo.


OBJECTIVE
to evaluate the NAS Nursing Activities Score--as a tool for measuring nursing workload, its use in measuring shifts, and its correspondence to the number of effective nursing personnel. Thirty-three patients, with mean age of 70 years (+/- 16.5), were classified. Most were males (66.7%). Length of stay in the ICU was 17 days (+/- 20.4); SAPSII was 41.7 (+/- 17.9), with mean probability of death of 33.5% (+/- 26.8); 63.6% were transferred to Intermediate Care Units and 18.2% died during ICU stay. Three hundred and ninety six NAS measures (shifts) were performed (134-morning, 132-afternoon, 130-evening), with averages of 55.4 (+/- 12.3) and 147 in 24-hour NAS and mean of 69.6 (+/- 18.2). NAS performed better in 24-hour application than in shifts, and proved to be an interesting tool for patient and nursing workload classification in intensive care.
Conishi
Regina Maria Yatsue
RM
UTI do Hospital Sírio Libanês, Brasil. rconishi@yahoo.com.br
Gaidzinski
Raquel Rapone
RR
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009729:Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010361:Patients / Q000145:classification; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*