An exploratory analysis of the relationship between psychiatric nurses' perceptions of workload and unit activity.

Although research exists relative to psychiatric nurses' perceptions of their work conditions, the relationship between nurses' perceptions of their workloads and the activities in which they engage has been unexplored. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between unit activity and nurses' perceptions of their workloads. The design is a secondary analysis using two data sources: (a) reports from 36 psychiatric nurses consisting of perceptions of their work conditions (n = 383) and (b) the hospital census and activity and acuity 24-hour shift reports (n = 384). Nurses' perceptions of workloads were related to unit activity; the greater the number of heavy and medium-to-heavy workloads, the higher the unit activity. This evidence contributes to the growing body of research demonstrating that nurses accurately provide information related to the hospital environment.

Rural hospital HIPAA readiness and resource needs.

PRINCIPAL FINDING: rural hospitals with fewer than 50 beds were most in need of assistance and resources to prepare for HIPAA indicating that the Small Hospital Improvement Program chose well in making HIPAA readiness one of three purposes for grants to those hospitals.

Historical trends in public general hospitals.

This article examines utilization trends in Canadian public general hospitals from 1976 to 1986-87. These trends are then compared with a previous period, and with hospital trends in the United States. Findings for this report are based on both provincial and national data. There was an overall decline in the number of hospitals with a decrease in small (1-49 beds) and an increase in large (300+ beds) hospitals. The net result is a 7% increase in the number of beds, though due to the larger population there was a 3% decrease in the bed rate per population. The bed occupancy rate increased from 77% to 83% and the average length of stay also increased. The number of separations increased slightly but rates per population declined. Patient-days per population increased in most provinces and there was a significant increase in long-stay units. Despite general uniformity amongst the provinces there were some notable variations. The trends indicate a reversal of the situation in the 1953-1973 period which was marked by an expansion in the hospital system. Hospitals in the United States showed somewhat similar trends with the exception of length of stay. The trends may be ascribed to factors such as increased efficiency, the development of alternatives to inpatient care, technical improvements, demographic changes and the individuality of the provincial health care systems.