Comparative Analysis of Nursing Manpower Requirements: Traditional Staffing Methodology versus Patient Classification System at Madigan Army Medical Center

摘要

As of mid-1983, it was estimated approximately 1,000 civilian hospitals in the U.S. utilized some form of a patient classification system to assist with nursing staffing, productivity monitoring, and budgeting justification. Several of these systems had been developed for use within Army Medical Treatment Facility (MTFs) but no system was promulgated for Army-wide use. Manpower requirements for Army MTFs are determined by applying staffing guidelines developed for various functional areas. For nursing service units, average daily occupied beds represent the principal quantitative yardstick employed in determining manpower staffing levels. This does not conform with Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH) standards. This study compares and contrasts these two methods for determining nurse staffing and ascertains the cost in terms of manpower requirements generated by each system. Keywords: Joint commission on accreditation and hospitals, Health care facilities, Nursing manpower requirements, Medical services, Military medicine. (SDW)