An organizational design perspective on the monthly self-scheduling process in nursing homes: A multiple case study.

AIMS: To describe the monthly self-scheduling process in nursing homes (NH), to determine how specific organizational design characteristics (including interpersonal relationships and leadership style) influence this process, and to examine the effect on individual, team, and organization-related outcomes. DESIGN: A multiple case study using an organizational design perspective as the overarching theoretical and explanatory framework. METHODS: Data collection was performed in four Belgian NH during Spring 2019 using semi-structured interviews (n = 39), documents, and observations. Open, axial, and selective coding was used for the data reduction process, and a within-case and cross-case analysis was performed. The COREQ checklist was used for reporting the findings. RESULTS: One group (two NH) used self-scheduling because it corresponds with their decentralized organizational design. Together with a motivating head nurse and additional resources during the core phase of the process, this led to positive outcomes. In contrast, another group used self-scheduling under the assumption that it would solve the mismatch between their organizational design and other organizational problems, which resulted in less positive work attitudes. CONCLUSION: Self-scheduling should match the organizational structure and culture. Additional resources and an adaptive leadership style can help mobilize and support employees. Future research may use quantitative methods to confirm positive outcomes. IMPACT: This study contributes to the rare literature on self-scheduling in NHs by focusing on the monthly self-scheduling process and by including an organizational design perspective. NH management can become informed of different self-scheduling methodologies and the impact of specific organizational characteristics on this process. Head nurses can become aware that they need to adapt their leadership style to obtain improved outcomes. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Three members of the study team met with several caregivers during field visits to conduct interviews and to observe the monthly self-scheduling process.

Systematic review: What is the impact of self-scheduling on the patient, nurse and organization?

AIM: To systematically review and evaluate the literature on the impact of self-scheduling on patient, nurse and organization-related outcomes. DESIGN: A systematic review. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cinahl, Scopus, Google Scholar, ERIC and Cochrane Library were screened until October 2019 (week 40) for peer-reviewed, empirical articles, written in English, Dutch or French. REVIEW METHODS: Two reviewers screened title and abstract using predetermined eligibility criteria and one reviewer screened the full texts of relevant hits. Quality was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: Studies (N = 23) were retained and classified into explanatory and descriptive studies. The articles reported on a range of outcomes: patient- and nurse-reported quality of care, job satisfaction, satisfaction with scheduling, work/life balance, planning involvement, interaction with colleagues, health and well-being, psychosocial factors, professional development, nurse manager's scheduling time, general working conditions, turnover, temporary employment agency use and absenteeism, recruitment and retention. CONCLUSION: The evidence base is limited. Several studies confirmed the positive impact of self-scheduling on the nurse and the organization. However, other studies found negative outcomes or no change. These outcomes should be interpreted in the light of contextual factors and the implementation process, which was often not without difficulties. Future research should use a multimethod longitudinal design, bear in mind the possibilities of quantitative research (e.g. for studying psychosocial factors) and employ a theoretical framework. IMPACT: This review informs about the inconsistent evidence on the association between self-scheduling and patient, nurse and organization-related outcomes and includes enablers and barriers to a successful implementation. These outcomes are influenced by the implementation process and the sustainability of the self-scheduling system, which are still major challenges for healthcare management. This demonstrates the urgent need for further research.

How much of Toyota's philosophy is embedded in health care at the organisational level? A review.

AIMS: Identify which of Toyota's principles are reported in health care institutions at the organisational level and to identify the type of reported outcomes related to the effectiveness of lean production reported in these studies. BACKGROUND: No scientific research has been conducted to determine which of Toyota's principles are embedded in health care systems. This knowledge is needed to perform targeted adjustments in health care. EVALUATION: Sixty studies were identified for the final analysis. KEY ISSUE(S): Some Toyota Way principles appear more deeply embedded in health care institutions than others are. CONCLUSION: Not all principles of Toyota's philosophy and production system were embedded in the studies in this review. The type of reported outcomes at the organisational level was diverse. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This literature review increases our knowledge about how many (and which) of the Toyota Way principles are embedded in health care. This knowledge may support reflection by nursing managers about how the full range of lean management principles could be embedded at the managerial and/or operational level.

Validation of standard times and influencing factors during the development of the Workload Indicator for Nursing.

BACKGROUND: A tool to assist in optimal allocation of available nursing resources is of paramount importance. AIMS: The goals of this study were as follows: (1) to determine whether the standard time values of the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset are a valid basis for the development of a Workload Indicator for Nursing; (2) to quantify the impact of factors that most influence nursing workload; and (3) to examine the cross-impact of items of the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset. DESIGN: This research project is a prospective observational study with exploratory aspects. METHODS: The data for this prospective study were collected during September 2010 from a convenience sample of 23 nursing units in four hospitals in Belgium. The data collection included three parts: (1) the registration of the items of the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset; (2) the amount of time committed to direct patient care; and (3) analysis of variables, which influence the nursing workload at patient and unit level. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients for the sum of Direct and Indirect Patient Care and the Workload Indicator for Nursing-score of the surgical, internal medicine and intensive care units were 0·85, 0·88 and 0·89 respectively. Significant differences in standard time utilization for nursing activities at the patient level are directly related to the level of mobility assistance required. Units needing significantly more time for Direct and Indirect Patient Care than predicted by the Workload Indicator for Nursing-score had a higher mean number of complex nursing activities per patient. CONCLUSIONS: The high correlation coefficients between the total time utilized for direct patient care and the WiN-score indicate that the standard time values of the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset are valid.

Onco@home: comparing the costs and reimbursement of cancer treatment at home with the standard of care.

BACKGROUND: Oncological home hospitalization (HH) was implemented in a Belgian context to evaluate the feasibility of oncological HH. In a first HH model (HH1), implemented by three Belgian hospitals, two home nursing organizations and a grouping of independent nurses, the blood draw and monitoring prior to intravenous therapy was performed by a trained home nurse at the patient's home the day before the visit to the day hospital. In a second HH model (HH2), implemented in one hospital, the administration of two subcutaneous treatments (Azacitidine and Bortezomib) for myelodysplastic syndrome and multiple myeloma were provided at home instead of in the hospital. A previous study on this pilot showed that oncological HH is feasible and safe and improves the Quality of Life. The aim of this study is to investigate the cost and reimbursement of cancer treatment in these two HH models compared to the Standard of Care (SOC). METHODS: A bottom-up micro-costing study was conducted to compare the costs and revenues for the providers (hospitals and home care organizations) of the SOC and the HH models. RESULTS: Costs associated to HH were higher than the SOC in the hospital. Comparing revenues with costs, the research revealed that the reimbursement from the National Health Insurance of HH for oncological patients is insufficient. In HH1, costs were higher than in the SOC (+ €50.4). There was a reduction in costs in the hospital by moving the blood draw to the home setting (-€23.9), but the costs in home care were higher (+ €74.3). The extra revenues in home care (+ €33.6) were insufficient to cover the costs. The cost difference between the SOC and HH2 (+ €9.5 for Azacetidine) was smaller than in HH1. But, there was almost no funding for subcutaneous administration in home care. If the product is administered in a day hospital, the hospital receives a revenue of €124 per administration, while in home care the funding is €5 per visit. CONCLUSION: Costs of HH are higher and the reimbursement from Belgian NHI is insufficient to organize HH. As a result, HH for oncology patient is still limited in Belgium.

An ontology-based nurse call management system (oNCS) with probabilistic priority assessment.

BACKGROUND: The current, place-oriented nurse call systems are very static. A patient can only make calls with a button which is fixed to a wall of a room. Moreover, the system does not take into account various factors specific to a situation. In the future, there will be an evolution to a mobile button for each patient so that they can walk around freely and still make calls. The system would become person-oriented and the available context information should be taken into account to assign the correct nurse to a call.The aim of this research is (1) the design of a software platform that supports the transition to mobile and wireless nurse call buttons in hospitals and residential care and (2) the design of a sophisticated nurse call algorithm. This algorithm dynamically adapts to the situation at hand by taking the profile information of staff members and patients into account. Additionally, the priority of a call probabilistically depends on the risk factors, assigned to a patient. METHODS: The ontology-based Nurse Call System (oNCS) was developed as an extension of a Context-Aware Service Platform. An ontology is used to manage the profile information. Rules implement the novel nurse call algorithm that takes all this information into account. Probabilistic reasoning algorithms are designed to determine the priority of a call based on the risk factors of the patient. RESULTS: The oNCS system is evaluated through a prototype implementation and simulations, based on a detailed dataset obtained from Ghent University Hospital. The arrival times of nurses at the location of a call, the workload distribution of calls amongst nurses and the assignment of priorities to calls are compared for the oNCS system and the current, place-oriented nurse call system. Additionally, the performance of the system is discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The execution time of the nurse call algorithm is on average 50.333 ms. Moreover, the oNCS system significantly improves the assignment of nurses to calls. Calls generally have a nurse present faster and the workload-distribution amongst the nurses improves.

Non-direct patient care factors influencing nursing workload: a review of the literature.

AIMS: The aim of this paper was to detect which non-direct patient care factors are related to nursing workload in acute hospital nursing care and to develop a conceptual model to describe the relationship between the non-direct patient care factors and nursing workload. BACKGROUND: Since the 1930s, efforts to measure nursing workload have been undertaken. Still, it remains unclear which of the non-direct patient care elements are essential to the nursing workload. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Embase, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Engineering Village 2, Elin and the British Nursing Index were searched from 1970 up to July 2009. REVIEW METHODS: Studies were included in this integrative review if they described factors that are related to nursing workload or if they presented models that explored the association between potential factors, excluding the factors related to direct patient care. RESULTS: Thirty publications were included. The influencing variables were classified in five categories based on their level of impact: the hospital and ward, nursing team, individual nurse, patient and family and meta-characteristics. The variables were also classified, based on their cause-effect relationship. Some factors have a direct impact on the patient-nurse relationship, while others have an effect on the work fluency or on the subjective perception of the nursing workload. A conceptual model was built, based on the interaction between both classifications and derived from the systems theory. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing workload has a multi-causal aetiology. The influencing factors from this review can be integrated in a workload measurement tool.

The effect of self-scheduling on organizational justice and work attitudes through leader-member exchange: A cross-sectional study using propensity scores.

BACKGROUND: Nurses have a very stressful and demanding job, which probably affects their health and well-being. This has resulted in a search for an optimal nurse schedule. Self-scheduling is one method to enhance flexibility and give more control to the employee. Literature on self-scheduling is scarce and mainly focused on the implementation process. So far, little is known about the long-term effects of self-scheduling. OBJECTIVE: The comparison of effects of self-scheduling versus fixed scheduling on three dimensions of organizational justice (distributive, procedural, interactional justice) and three work attitudes (job satisfaction, affective commitment, global empowerment). This total effect is decomposed into direct and indirect effects via hypothesised mediators (leader-member exchange and organizational justice). DESIGN: A cross-sectional multisite-matched study. SETTING: A questionnaire was distributed to nurses and nurse assistants of twelve nursing homes in Flanders (Belgium). Six matched pairs of nursing homes were formed, each containing a nursing home that uses self-scheduling (for at least one year) and one that uses fixed scheduling. PARTICIPANTS: The study sample included 308 nurses and nurse assistants, of which 160 surveys were from nursing homes using fixed scheduling, versus 148 surveys from nursing homes using self-scheduling. METHODS: Using a double robust fixed effects regression model adjusted for the propensity score, the total effect of self-scheduling compared to fixed scheduling was analysed on the proposed outcomes. Subsequently, a (multiple) mediation analysis was performed. RESULTS: If all people would have used self-scheduling instead of fixed scheduling, on average a significant decrease in the mean procedural justice score (estimated mean difference = -0.20, 95% CI -0.36 to -0.05) would be found. There is a significant negative direct effect (estimated mean difference = -0.12, 95% CI -0.21 to -0.03) and indirect effect via the mediator leader-member-exchange (estimated mean difference = -0.08, 95% CI -0.15 to -0.01) on procedural justice. In addition, significant negative indirect effects of self-scheduling were found via the mediator leader-member exchange on all the investigated outcomes. CONCLUSION: Drawing up the work schedule is perceived as less fair in the case of self-scheduling. Furthermore, self-scheduling has a negative indirect effect on several work attitudes as a result of the changed relationship between the head nurse and the employees. The increase in task variety and decision-making autonomy for the employees and the altered leadership role of the head nurse can have a major impact on the dynamics of the entire team.

Determination of standard times of nursing activities based on a Nursing Minimum Dataset.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study conducted to determine the standard time per nursing activity and the proportion of nursing time covered by the nursing activities of the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset compared to the total time of a nurse shift, and to evaluate the correlation between hospital size and standard times of nursing activities. BACKGROUND: Because of a shrinking workforce and rising workload, nursing managers need tools that help them to allocate their staff to the wards. Such tools should be based on objective time measurements. METHODS: The study was performed in surgical, internal medicine and elder care wards in an acute hospital care setting. In the first phase, a two-round Delphi-procedure was used to operationalize the definitions of nursing activities. In the second phase, the standard time for each nursing activity was determined, based on data collected over a 6-month period during 2006-2007. A combination of 13,292 work sampling observations by external observers, 3000 recordings of direct time measurement by self-recording and subjective time assessments yielded times that were used to analyse the duration of the nursing activities. RESULTS: A standard time for 102 nursing activities was established. The coverage of the Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset in the surgical, internal medicine and elder care wards was 47.5%, 46.4% and 51.0% respectively. The Belgian Nursing Minimum Dataset was found to cover almost 70% of direct and indirect nursing care. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed to assess the impact on the standard times of nursing activities of inefficient organizational structures and different cultural interpretations of the way an activity is conducted.

The difference in learning culture and learning performance between a traditional clinical placement, a dedicated education unit and work-based learning.

BACKGROUND: An experiment was carried out on the bachelor's degree course in nursing with two new clinical placement concepts: workplace learning and the dedicated education centre. The aim was to establish a learning culture that creates a sufficiently high learning performance for students. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are threefold: (1) to look for a difference in the "learning culture" and "learning performance" in traditional clinical placement departments and the new clinical placement concepts, the "dedicated education centre" and "workplace learning"; (2) to assess factors influencing the learning culture and learning performance; and (3) to investigate whether there is a link between the learning culture and the learning performance. METHOD: A non-randomised control study was carried out. The experimental group consisted of 33 final-year nursing undergraduates who were following clinical placements at dedicated education centres and 70 nursing undergraduates who undertook workplace learning. The control group consisted of 106 students who followed a traditional clinical placement. The "learning culture" outcome was measured using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale. The "learning performance" outcome consisting of three competencies was measured using the Nursing Competence Questionnaire. RESULTS: The traditional clinical placement concept achieved the highest score for learning culture (p<0.001). The new concepts scored higher for learning performance of which the dedicated education centres achieved the highest scores. The 3 clinical placement concepts showed marked differences in learning performance for the "assessment" competency (p<0.05) and for the "interventions" competency (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Traditional clinical placement, a dedicated education centre and workplace learning can be seen as complementary clinical placement concepts. The organisation of clinical placements under the dedicated education centre concept and workplace learning is recommended for final-year undergraduate nursing students.

Probabilistic priority assessment of nurse calls.

Current nurse call systems are very static. Call buttons are fixed to the wall, and systems do not account for various factors specific to a situation. We have developed a software platform, the ontology-based Nurse Call System (oNCS), which supports the transition to mobile and wireless nurse call buttons and uses an intelligent algorithm to address nurse calls. This algorithm dynamically adapts to the situation at hand by taking the profile information of staff and patients into account by using an ontology. This article describes a probabilistic extension of the oNCS that supports a more sophisticated nurse call algorithm by dynamically assigning priorities to calls based on the risk factors of the patient and the kind of call. The probabilistic oNCS is evaluated through implementation of a prototype and simulations, based on a detailed dataset obtained from 3 nursing departments of Ghent University Hospital. The arrival times of nurses at the location of a call, the workload distribution of calls among nurses, and the assignment of priorities to calls are compared for the oNCS and the current nurse call system. Additionally, the performance of the system and the parameters of the priority assignment algorithm are explored. The execution time of the nurse call algorithm is on average 50.333 ms. Moreover, the probabilistic oNCS significantly improves the assignment of nurses to calls. Calls generally result in a nurse being present more quickly, the workload distribution among the nurses improves, and the priorities and kinds of calls are taken into account.

Determining a set of measurable and relevant factors affecting nursing workload in the acute care hospital setting: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: While there has been great interest in the effect of nurse staffing levels have on the quality of care in hospitals, less attention has been given to determining the factors that affect the nursing workload. There are no existing studies that help define measurable factors that have a clear relation to nursing workload. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the most important and measurable factors, other than patient acuity, that influence nursing workload. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design. SETTINGS: Hospitals within the acute hospital care setting. PARTICIPANTS: Persons with a nursing educational background, working in Belgian acute care hospitals. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on the results of an integrative review, the use of focus groups and a survey on measurability and relevance of the included factors. The questionnaire listed relevant and measurable factors related to nursing workload. Weight and frequency of each factor was assessed. RESULTS: The initial list consisted of 94 factors. These factors were regrouped and organised into a questionnaire of 28 measurable and sufficiently relevant factors affecting the nursing workload. More than half of the initial factors seemed to be relevant, but hard to measure on a daily basis. Based on the impact of each factor, the number of work interruptions was the most important factor related to nursing workload. CONCLUSIONS: It is unlikely that a workload instrument will ever be able to take into account all possible factors affecting the nursing workload. Nevertheless, the number of work interruptions, the patient turnover rate and the number of mandatory registrations should be included in the development or revision of a workload measurement tool.

Measuring the nursing workload per shift in the ICU.

PURPOSE: In the intensive care unit (ICU) different strategies and workload measurement tools exist to indicate the number of nurses needed. The gathered information is always focused on manpower needed per 24 h. However, a day consists of several shifts, which may be unequal in nursing workload. The aim of this study was to evaluate if differences in nursing workload between consecutive shifts can be identified by a nursing workload measurement tool. METHODS: The nursing activities score (NAS) was registered per patient for every shift during a 4-week period in a prospective, observational research project in the surgical-pediatric ICU (SICU-PICU) and medical ICU (MICU) of an academic hospital. RESULTS: The NAS was influenced by the patient characteristics and the type of shift. Furthermore, the scores were lower during night shifts, in weekends and in MICU patients. Overall, the mean NAS per nurse per shift was 85.5 %, and the NAS per 24 h was 54.7 %. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the nursing workload can be measured per working shift. In the ICU, the NAS differentiates the nursing workload between shifts, patients and units.

Nosocomial pneumonia: aetiology, diagnosis and treatment.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review highlights recent advances in the aetiology of nosocomial pneumonia, and in strategies to increase accuracy of diagnosis and antibiotic prescription while limiting unnecessary antibiotic consumption. RECENT FINDINGS: Bacterial pathogens still cause the bulk of nosocomial pneumonia and are of concern because of ever-rising antimicrobial resistance. Yet, the pathogenic role of fungal and viral organisms is increasingly recognized. Since early appropriate antimicrobial therapy is the cornerstone of an effective treatment, further studies have been conducted to improve appropriateness of early antibiotic therapy. De-escalation strategies combine initial broad-spectrum antibiotics to maximize early antibiotic coverage with a subsequent focusing of the antibiotic spectrum when the cause is identified. Invasive techniques probably do not alter the immediate outcome but have the potential to reduce unnecessary antibiotic exposure. Decisions to stop or change antibiotic therapy are hampered due to a lack of reliable parameters to assess the resolution of pneumonia. SUMMARY: Increasing antimicrobial resistance in nosocomial pneumonia both challenges treatment and mandates limitation of selection pressure by reducing antibiotic burden. Treating physicians should be both aggressive in initiating antimicrobials when suspecting nosocomial pneumonia but willing to discontinue antimicrobials when diagnostic results point to an alternative diagnosis. Efforts should be made to limit duration of antibiotic therapy when possible.

Reliability of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification system.

AIM: This paper reports a study examining the interrater and intrarater reliability of classifying pressure ulcers according to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification system when using photographs of pressure ulcers and incontinence lesions. BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcer classification is an essential tool for assessing ulcers and their severity and determining which preventive or therapeutic action is needed. Many classification systems are described in the literature. There are only a limited number of studies that evaluate the interrater reliability of pressure ulcer grading scales. The intrarater reliability is seldom studied. METHODS: The study consisted of two phases. In the first phase 56 photographs, together with a random selection of nine photographs from the same set, were presented to 473 nurses. In the second phase, the 56 photographs were presented twice to 86 other nurses with an interval of one month and in a different order. All the nurses were familiar with the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification. They did not receive any additional training on classification, and were asked to classify the lesions as normal skin, blanchable erythema, pressure ulcers (four grades, European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification) or incontinence lesions. RESULTS: In the first phase, the multirater-Kappa for the 473 participating nurses was 0.37 (P < 0.001). Non-blanchable erythema was often confused with blanchable erythema and incontinence lesions. Also incontinence lesions were frequently not correctly classified. The intrarater agreement was low (kappa = 0.38). In the second phase, the interrater agreement was not significantly different in both sessions. The intrarater agreement was 0.52. CONCLUSION: Both the interrater and intrarater reliability of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel classification of lesion photographs by nurses was very low. Differentiation between pressure ulcers and incontinence lesions seems to be difficult.