[Direct Cost of Reprocessing Cotton-woven Surgical Drapes: a Case Study]. / Custo direto do reprocessamento de campos cirúrgicosde tecido de algodão: um estudo de caso.

OBJECTIVE: Identify the direct cost of reprocessing double and single cotton-woven drapes of the surgical LAP package. METHOD: A quantitative, exploratory and descriptive case study, performed at a teaching hospital. The direct cost of reprocessing cotton-woven surgical drapes was calculated by multiplying the time spent by professionals involved in reprocessing the unit with the direct cost of labor, adding to the cost of materials. The Brazilian currency (R$) originally used for the calculations was converted to US currency at the rate of US$0.42/R$. RESULTS: The average total cost for surgical LAP package was US$9.72, with the predominance being in the cost of materials (US$8.70 or 89.65%). It is noteworthy that the average total cost of materials was mostly impacted by the cost of the cotton-woven drapes (US$7.99 or 91.90%). CONCLUSION: The knowledge gained will subsidize discussions about replacing reusable cotton-woven surgical drapes for disposable ones, favoring arguments regarding the advantages and disadvantages of this possibility considering human resources, materials, as well as structural, environmental and financial resources.

Nursing staff in the internal medicine and surgical units of teaching hospitals: composition and cost. / Quadro de profissionais de enfermagem em unidades médico-cirúrgicas de hospitais de ensino: composição e custos.

Objective Evaluate the mean quantitative and qualitative nursing staff working in the internal medicine and surgical units of three public general teaching hospitals in the city of São Paulo, compared to projected mean staff according to the parameters of Cofen Resolution No. 293/04, as well as measure the mean cost of current and projected nursing staff. Method Quantitative, descriptive, exploratory study using prospective data collection. Results In most of the units studied, the number of nursing professionals was adequate. In two of the institutions, the percentage of nurses was lower than that recommended by Cofen. Qualitative and quantitative adjustment of the staff would represent a monthly cost increase of R$141,326 for Hospital A, R$138,989 for Hospital B, and a reduction of R$99,028 for Hospital C. Conclusion The main contribution of this study was the proposed method for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of nursing staff, in addition to determining the average cost for adjustments.

Development of an online nursing management course: successful experience between Brazil and Portugal. / Desenvolvimento do curso de gerenciamento em enfermagem on-line: experiência exitosa entre Brasil e Portugal.

Objective To describe the experience of planning and developing online refresher courses in nursing management for nurses in the contexts of Brazil and Portugal. Method The instructional design was based on meaningful learning theory, andragogy, and dialectical methodology, so it valued interaction between the actors, emphasizing the scenarios of practice and applying the concepts covered. The course structure is divided into nine theoretical units, four case studies, and an essay exam. Results The course was positively evaluated by the participants, who reported opportunities for acquisition of new knowledge, interaction and exchange of experiences, motivation to study the topics, and self-learning. Conclusion It is expected that description of this experience will stimulate proposals for new courses and programs in distance education modalities, improving the processes of teaching and learning so as to give support to future analyses of their impact on the development and enhancement of management skills in nursing.

[Procedures' costs related to outpatient chemotherapy treatment of women suffering from breast cancer]. / Custo de procedimentos relacionados ao tratamento quimioterápico ambulatorial de mulheres portadoras de cancer de mama.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the direct cost of procedures related to an outpatient chemotherapy treatment for women with breast cancer. METHOD: This is a quantitative research, using the case study methodology, performed in an outpatient chemotherapy of a private hospital. The total cost was calculated by multiplying the time spent by professionals involved in therapeutic procedures, the unit cost of direct labor, adding to the cost of materials, drugs and solutions. For performing the calculations, we used the Brazilian currency (R$). RESULTS: The average total cost per chemotherapy session corresponded to R$ 1,783.01 (100%), being R$ 1,671.66 (93,75%) spent with drugs, R$ 74,98 (4.21%) with materials, R$ 28.49 (1.60%) with labor and R$ 7.88 (0.44%) with solutions. CONCLUSION: The results may support discussions and decision making for the management of costs related to chemotherapy aimed at reducing expenses and eliminating waste without harm to the care provided.

[Direct cost of connecting, maintaining and disconnecting patient-controlled analgesia pump]. / Custo direto da instalação, manutenção e desligamento da bomba de analgesia.

Quantitative research that aimed to identify the mean total cost (MTC) of connecting, maintaining and disconnecting patient-controlled analgesia pump (PCA) in the management of pain. The non-probabilistic sample corresponded to the observation of 81 procedures in 17 units of the Central Institute of the Clinics Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo. We calculated the MTC multiplying by the time spent by nurses at a unit cost of direct labor, adding the cost of materials and medications/solutions. The MTC of connecting was R$ 107.91; maintenance R$ 110.55 and disconnecting R$ 4.94. The results found will subsidize discussions about the need to transfer money from the Unified Health System to hospitals units that perform this technique of analgesic therapy and it will contribute to the cost management aimed at making efficient and effective decision-making in the allocation of available resources.

[Spending with unnecessary complementary tests for hypertension and diabetes in health services]. / Gastos com exames complementares desnecessários para hipertensos e diabéticos nos serviços de saúde.

The aims of this study were to analyze unnecessary laboratory exams for patients with hypertension and diabetes and to check the expenditures involved.This is an exploratory-descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach.We used data from medical records of 293 patients registered in primary units - the Family Health Center (NSF3); secondary: School Health Center (CSE); and tertiary: Hospital das Clinicas (HC) from 2006 to 2009 in a city in Southeastern Brazil. We identified a total of 9,522 laboratory tests, of which 5.97% were unnecessary. Of these, about 58% were requested by NSF3 and 42% by CSE. Results suggest there is a lack of integration among different levels of health care, which result in misallocation of resources and unnecessary spending. Descriptors: Health expenditures. Hypertension. Diabetes mellitus. Family health. Health services.

Lean methodology: contributions to improving work processes in health and nursing.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the contributions of applying the Lean methodology to improve work processes in health and nursing and its impact on associated financial aspects. METHOD: an integrative review, carried out in six databases, whose sample of ten (100.0%) studies was analyzed and summarized descriptively. RESULTS: the outcomes obtained were stratified into: benefits/barriers to Lean Healthcare implementation; economic aspects involving Lean Healthcare implementation; and process improvements through Lean Healthcare implementation. The majority of studies (60.0%) were carried out in university hospitals, contexts that need to continually improve the quality of services provided, generally with scarce and limited resources, which support the viability of maintaining the teaching, research and extension tripod. CONCLUSION: three (30.0%) studies highlighted the financial aspects associated with Lean methodology application. The others only mentioned the possibility of financial gains through improving processes and reducing waste.

[Standardization of activities in an oncology surgical center according to nursing intervention classification]. / Padronização das atividades em centro cirúrgico oncológico segundo a classificação das intervençães de enfermagem.

This study was undertaken in a surgical center specializing in oncology, and it aimed to identify nursing activities performed during the perioperative period and to classify and validate intervention activities according to the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). A survey of activities was conducted using records and by direct observation of nursing care across four shifts. Activities were classified as NIC nursing interventions using the cross-mapping technique. The list of interventions was validated by nursing professionals in workshops. Forty-nine interventions were identified: 34 of direct care and 15 of indirect care. Identifying nursing interventions facilitates measuring the time spent in their execution, which is a fundamental variable in the quantification and qualification of nurses' workloads.

Direct costs of treating men with prostate cancer with High Intensity Focused Ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the direct costs of materials, medicines/solutions and healthcare professionals required to treat men with prostate cancer using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound. METHOD: Quantitative, exploratory-descriptive research, single case study type. Data were collected from electronic medical records/printed documentation from the Operating Room of a public teaching and research hospital. Health professionals estimated the respective time spent on activities in the following stages: "Before anesthetic induction", "Before performing thermal ablation", "During thermal ablation" and "After performing thermal ablation". Costs were calculated by multiplying the (estimated) time spent by the unit cost of direct labor, adding to the measured cost of materials, medicines/solutions. RESULTS: The measured costs with materials corresponded to US$851.58 (SD = 2.17), with medicines/solutions to US$72.13 (SD = 25.84), and estimated personnel costs to US$196.03, totaling US$1119.74/procedure. CONCLUSION: The economic results obtained may support hospital managers in the decision-making process regarding the adoption of the High Intensity Focused Ultrasound for the treatment of prostate cancer.

[Nurses' perception regarding the implementation of computer-based clinical nursing documentation]. / Percepção de enfermeiros em relação à implementação da informatização da documentação clínica de enfermagem.

This qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study was performed with the objective of understanding the perception of the nurses working in medical-surgical units of a university hospital, regarding the strategies developed to perform a pilot test of the PROCEnf-USP electronic system, with the purpose of computerizing clinical nursing documentation. Eleven nurses of a theoretical-practical training program were interviewed and the obtained data were analyzed using the Content Analysis Technique. The following categories were discussed based on the references of participative management and planned changes: favorable aspects for the implementation; unfavorable aspects for the implementation; and expectations regarding the implementation. According to the nurses' perceptions, the preliminary use of the electronic system allowed them to show their potential and to propose improvements, encouraging them to become partners of the group manager in the dissemination to other nurses of the institution.

Process-based Management aimed at improving health care and financial results.

The limited resources allocated to the health area and the growing demands require leaders' qualified and committed performance in hospital management. In this perspective, the objective of this study is to reflect on the management practices that can be applied to hospital facilities to achieve better care and financial results. Among them, process-based management proposes an approach for continuous process improvement to achieve desired results; the method Lean Six Sigma allows identifying and eliminating waste in production processes; the continuous improvement model combines practical knowledge with the knowledge of how the system to be improved works, through observations and changes that allow its results measurement; and cost management and value-based healthcare provides for care mapping, from beginning to end, to assess what actually adds value to patients. The contributions of implementing these practices are recognized worldwide; using them, processes can be increased, improving efficiency, reducing waste, adding value to the business, increasing its revenue, and resulting in savings that can be passed on to the consumer, by improving quality.

In loco nursing practice inspection costs in a Brazilian setting.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the average direct cost related to the direct labor of the inspectors involved in the "in loco inspection" step of the inspection process carried out at the Headquarters of the Regional Nursing Council of São Paulo. METHOD: Quantitative, exploratory-descriptive research, in the form of a single case study. The non-probabilistic convenience sample consisted of records of initial and return "in loco inspections", carried out by inspectors working at the Headquarters of The Regional Nursing Council of São Paulo, from January 13, 2020 to March 13, 2020. RESULTS: The average direct cost of initial in loco inspection (N = 182) corresponded to BRL 331.67 (SD = 140.32), ranging from BRL 115.80 to BRL 1071.15, and that of return in loco inspection (N = 98) to BRL 256.16 (SD = 130.90), ranging from BRL 77.20 to BRL 694.80. Time and cost variables analysis of initial and return in loco inspections showed an alpha significance level of 0.05, and it was possible to statistically state that the time (p ≤ 0.001) and the cost of initial in loco inspection (p ≤ 0.001) are higher than those for return in loco inspection. CONCLUSION: the cost of the step of "in loco inspection" will support the Nursing Council in the decision-making process aiming at allocating efficiency of human resources required in the inspection process.

Supervision of the professional practice of nursing: case study describing the "on-site inspection" sub-process.

OBJECTIVES: to describe the "On-site inspection" sub-process of the macroprocess "Supervision" conducted at the headquarters unit of the Regional Nursing Council of São Paulo. METHODS: an exploratory descriptive research, in a single case study modality using data reported by the Headquarters Unit Inspection Management leaders. RESULTS: the description of the "On-Site inspection" sub-process, initial and return, showed how the activities/tasks pre-established in the inspection roadmap and inserted in the respective inspection terms need to be accurately and sequentially executed to comply with the current legislation and provided the identification of activities that add value to the inspection process. CONCLUSIONS: the results obtained give visibility to the activities/tasks developed by the inspectors and will provide the Inspection Management with subsidies for the rational allocation of the required human resources; and, to the technical managers and legal representatives of the inspected institutions, the knowledge of the activities developed during the performance of the sub-process "On-site inspection".

Average direct costs of outpatient, hospital, and home care provided to patients with chronic wounds.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the average direct costs of outpatient, hospital, and home care provided to patients with chronic wounds. METHOD: Quantitative, exploratory-descriptive case study, carried out in a Comprehensive Wound Care Unit. Costs were obtained by multiplying the time spent by professionals by the unit cost of labor in the respective category, adding to the costs of materials and topical therapies. RESULTS: Outpatient care costs corresponded to US$4.25 (SD ± 7.60), hospital care to US$3.87 (SD ± 17.27), and home care to US$3.47 (SD ± 5.73). In these three modalities, direct costs with dressings and medical consultations were the most representative: US$7.76 (SD ± 9.46) and US$6.61 (SD ± 6.54); US$7.06 (SD ± 24.16) and US$15.60 (SD ± 0.00); US$4.09 (SD ± 5.28) and US$15.60 (SD ± 0.00), respectively. CONCLUSION: Considering comprehensive care for patients with chronic wounds, the mean total direct cost was US$10.28 (SD ± 17.21), with the outpatient modality being the most representative in its composition. There was a statistically significant difference (p value = 0.000) between the costs of home and outpatient, home and hospital, and outpatient and hospital care.

[Nursing staff absenteeism rates as a personnel management indicator]. / Taxa de absenteísmo da equipe de enfermagem como indicador de gestão de pessoas.

Absenteeism in nursing is a difficult problem for health organizations; hence it is an indicator that must be monitored. The objective of this study was to analyze the absenteeism rate of nursing professionals in a public hospital. Absenteeism data were collected monthly, from January to July 2008, and calculated by means of an electronic program. The mean absenteeism index for nurses varied from 5.6% to 9.7% for technicians/nursing aides. Sick leaves were the most prevalent reason for absences. The data revealed the major cause of absenteeism and pointed at the need to change policies for hiring nursing professionals, in addition to reviewing the working processes in order to improve the workers' health conditions.

Cost of nursing staffing adequacy in a neonatal unit. / Custo da adequação quantitativa de profissionais de enfermagem em Unidade Neonatal.

The objectives of this descriptive, quantitative study were: to identify the mean nursing care time provided and required by newborns (NB) hospitalized at the Neonatal Unit of the University of São Paulo University Hospital; to calculate the cost of the mean nursing care time provided and required, by NB; to assess the cost of the nursing staffing adequacy required to assist the NB. The mean nursing care times, provided by the nursing staff and required by NBs, were calculated using equations available in the literature and by applying the Nursing Activities Score. The costs of the mean nursing care times and to make nursing staffing adequate were calculated based on the hourly cost of nurses and nursing technicians. The financial impact of nursing staffing adequacy accounted for a 30% increase over the cost of the current situation.

Computerized nursing staffing: a software evaluation. / Dimensionamento informatizado de profissionais de enfermagem: avaliação de um software.

The complexity involved in operationalizing the method for nursing staffing, in view of the uncountable variable related to identifying the workload, the effective working time of the staff, and the Technical Security Index (TSI) revealed the need to develop a software program named: Computerized Nursing Staffing (DIPE, in Portuguese acronyms). This exploratory, descriptive study was performed with the objective to evaluate the technical quality and functional performance of DIPE. Participants were eighteen evaluators, ten of whom where nurse faculty or nurse hospital unit managers, and eight health informatics experts. The software evaluation was performed according to norm NBR ISO/IEC 9126-1, considering the features functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, and maintainability. The software evaluation reached positive results and agreement among the evaluators for all the evaluated features. The reported suggestions are important for proposing further improving and enhancing the DIPE.

Survey of the major sources of waste in the health care units of a teaching hospital. / Levantamento das principais fontes de desperdício de unidades assistenciais de um hospital universitário.

The objectives of this study were to survey the different types of waste, their causes and suggestions to eliminate them according to the opinion of the nursing and medical staff from the Clinical Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Rooming-In, and Nursery Units; and estimate the cost of the major source of waste found in the referred units. This descriptive, explorative study was performed at the University of São Paulo Teaching Hospital using a quantitative approach. The study sample consisted of 189 medical and nursing professionals. Material waste (36%) was the most often reported by all professional categories, followed by physical structure waste (27%). The most reported wasted materials were medicines, dressing packs, stationary paper, and infusion devices The estimated annual cost of material waste in the studied units is about R$ 479.262,86.

Evaluation of phlebitis adverse event occurrence in patients of a Clinical Inpatient Unit. / Avaliação da ocorrência do evento adverso flebite em pacientes de uma Unidade de Internação Clínica.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the causes and reasons associated with the occurrence of phlebitis in a Inpatient Medical Unit in a large and private general hospital. METHOD: Quantitative, exploratory-descriptive, retrospective and documentary research, carried out by consulting the electronic forms of notification of the occurrence of phlebitis in 2017. RESULTS: A total of 107 phlebitis related to 96 patients were reported, most of them (91.7%) with phlebitis, being male (53.1%), aged 60-69 years old (23.0%) and with a hospital stay of less than four days (30.2%). Most (68.2%) of the notifications were made by nurses, with the occurrence of phlebitis predominating in devices with less than 24h (38.3%); with the classification of phlebitis grade 2 (45.8%); with antibiotics infusion (46.7%); with the location of the bed far from the nursing station (52.3%); and with the presence of a companion (82.2%). The damage classification indicated that 93.5% of the patients suffered mild damage, 4.7% moderate damage and 1.9% did not suffer any damage. CONCLUSION: Knowing the causes and reasons associated with the occurrence of phlebitis can support decision-making, management and care processes regarding investments in preventive or risk mitigation strategies.

Direct costs of rescue procedures to manage vascular access complications in conventional hemodialysis.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the average direct cost of procedures performed by health professionals, in a Dialysis Center, for the management of complications of vascular access for hemodialysis. METHOD: Quantitative, exploratory-descriptive case study type research. The average direct cost was calculated by multiplying the time spent by health professionals by the unit cost of direct labor, adding this to the input costs (materials/ medicines/solutions). RESULTS: The following average direct costs were obtained: US$0.72, US$2.00 and US$1.41 for "administration of easy-to-dilute, difficult-to-dilute, and undiluted antibiotics", respectively; $2.61 for "central venous catheter dressing with topical antibiotic"; $48.05 for "alteplase infusion"; US$183.68 for "insertion of central venous catheter for hemodialysis"; and $1.31 for "arteriovenous fistula puncture". CONCLUSION: Material and drug costs significantly contributed to the composition of the average total direct cost of most procedures.