What drives perceived work intensity in neonatal intensive care units? Empirical evidence from a longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the drivers of perceived work intensity among neonatal intensive care unit nurses.


BACKGROUND
The consequences of high work intensity have been studied extensively, yet setting-specific drivers have received less attention.


METHODS
Prospective, longitudinal and monocentric study design.


METHODS
The study combined data from standardized diary surveys and passive observations of study nurses. Data were collected over a period of 6 months in 2015. We considered two scenarios: (1) the perception of normal work intensity relative to non-normal work intensity; and (2) the perception of high work intensity relative to non-high work intensity. Perceived work intensity was then analysed using mixed-effects probit regression models.


RESULTS
We found that when direct and indirect care were provided more frequently than administrative and other duties were performed, the evaluated nurses perceived their work intensity to be higher. We also found that nurses who more frequently provided care for sick and preterm infants were less likely to perceive their work intensity as normal and this effect was stronger among nurses who cared for infants under mechanical ventilation than nurses who cared for infants receiving non-invasive respiratory support.


CONCLUSIONS
In the interest of both nurses and infants and the pursuit of a reduction in perceived work intensity and the provision of better neonatal care, caution must be applied when assigning infants to nurses. Further research is needed to validate these findings using a multicentre study design.
Institute of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Sandra
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2354-1307
S
Sülz
Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Children's Hospital, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Kristina
K
Langhammer
Department of Supply Chain Management & Management Science, Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Science, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Michael
M
Becker-Peth
Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care, Children's Hospital, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.|Department of Business Administration and Health Care Management, Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Science, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Bernhard
B
Roth
D036262:Empirical Research; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017283:Neonatal Nursing; D016526:Workload
NICUs; nurse; nursing; nursing workload; staffing; work intensity