Determining Nurse Staffing for Peritoneal Dialysis Care.

There is no consensus on the ideal staffing levels for peritoneal dialysis (PD) units. The objective of this two-phase study was to evaluate nurse staffing levels in a PD unit based on activities and time spent performing them. An instrument was created based on nursing activities identified by a focus group, and the time spent performing these activities was measured over a four-month period. Forty-seven activities were identified, including care assistance activities (29), management activities (12), educational activities (5), and research activities (1). Direct patient care predominated, consuming 55.3% of overall time worked. Based on time spent per activity, we estimate that 70.2 hours of nursing care is required to care for one patient for one year.

Correlation between the TISS-28 and NEMS indicators in an intensive care unit.

Cross-sectional study aimed to analyse and compare the correlation between the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS)-28 and Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use (NEMS) indicators with a sample of 725 patients, for which data was collected from the computerized system of a university hospital. The findings of the present study well demonstrated a strong correlation between the TISS-28 and NEMS, both at the time of patient admission and discharge (0.888 and 0.885; P < 0.001), although there is a dispersion of 21% in the data and established cut-off points to discriminate with greater power the death and no death scenarios. Further research is still necessary to confirm the possibility of replacing the TISS-28 scoring instrument with NEMS.

The Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Brazil (SSEQ-B): a structural validity analysis.

BACKGROUND: Self-efficacy has been shown to play an important role in rehabilitation outcomes of stroke patients. The Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire Brazil (SSEQ-B) is designed to assess self-efficacy of functional performance after stroke. OBJECTIVE: This research sought to address the structural validity of the SSEQ-B using exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. We performed a reliability assessment and structural validation of the SSEQ-B in 115 Brazilian stroke survivors living in Rio Grande do Sul or São Paulo. Results: Sample mean age was 62.7 ± 14.2 years. Internal consistency presents a Cronbach's Alpha (αC) of 0.829. Exploratory factorial analysis using the scree plot method revealed a bifactorial structure, consisting of activity and self-management domains. While confirmatory factorial analysis suggested a trifactorial structure, the loading ranges between factors 1 and 3 were very similar, suggesting they could be collapsed - resulting in the same factors found in the scree plot analysis. Both structures with subscales showed good construct validity. CONCLUSION: SSEQ-B is a valid and reliable measure of stroke self-efficacy. The preferred structure of the SSEQ-B is bifactorial and includes the domains activity and self-management.