[Use of scores to calculate the nursing workload in a pediatric intensive care unit].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the performance of the Nursing Activities Score in a pediatric intensive care unit, compare its scores expressed as time spent on nursing activities to the corresponding ones calculated using the Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System, and correlate the results obtained by both instruments with severity, morbidity and mortality.


METHODS
Prospective, observational, and analytical cohort study conducted at a type III general pediatric intensive care unit. The study participants were all the children aged 29 days to 12 years admitted to the investigated pediatric intensive care unit from August 2008 to February 2009.


RESULTS
A total of 545 patients were studied, which corresponded to 2,951 assessments. The average score of the Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System was 28.79±10.37 (915±330 minutes), and that of the Nursing Activities Score was 55.6±11.82 (802±161 minutes). The number of minutes that resulted from the conversion of the Simplified Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System score was higher compared to that resulting from the Nursing Activities Score for all the assessments (p<0.001). The correlation between the instruments was significant, direct, positive, and moderate (R=0.564).


CONCLUSIONS
The agreement between the investigated instruments was satisfactory, and both instruments also exhibited satisfactory discrimination of mortality; for that purpose, the best cutoff point was 16 nursing hours/patient day.
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
Andriza Oliveira Moschetta
AO
Campagner
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
Pedro Celiny Ramos
PC
Garcia
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
Jefferson Pedro
JP
Piva
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*