Estimating the number of required nurses in different types of hospitals: An application of the workload indicators of staffing needs (WISNS) method

• Published in: PloS one 2023-12, Vol.18 (12), p.e0295213-e0295213
• Main Authors: Najafpour, Zhila, Zare Nasiri, Mohsen, Nozarian, Mohammad-Hussein, Keliddar, Iman, Shayanfard, Kamran
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Data analysis; Developing countries; Health care industry; Health services; Hospitals; Indicators; Iran; Job stress; Labor market; LDCs; Management; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Medicine, Experimental; Methods; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing care; Observational studies; Patient satisfaction; People and Places; Practice; Quality standards; Shortages; Statistical analysis; Supply and demand; Workforce; Workforce planning; Working conditions; Working hours; Workload; Workloads
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295213

Health system performance depends on the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of health workforces. Policymakers seek whether the number of nurses is optimally matched based on patients' needs. This study aimed to assess the workforce stock, workload activities, activity standards, and workload pressure to determine the number of required nurses in different types of hospitals in Iran. This study applied the workload indicators of staffing needs (WISNs) method and was conducted in 22 surgical and internal medicine wards at five hospitals in the southwest of Iran during six months. A time-motion study, and several group discussions, interviews were used to extract the required data. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. All selected hospitals faced nursing shortages. The highest shortage (-47) and workload pressure (WISN ratio 0.45) were observed in the general-educational hospitals. In the specialized hospitals, the workload pressure was high (WISN ratio 0.49). The lowest shortage belonged to the private hospital. Based on our assessment, in all of the hospitals, nurses typically worked overtime due to high workload. The studied hospitals covered an average of 25% of their shortage with nursing overtime working. We noted that nurses were predominantly occupied with health service and supportive activities (≈90% of their time). Based on the WISN method, all of the hospitals faced nursing shortages from moderate to high. However, it would be essential to consider current labor market analysis based on accurate data to adopt appropriate policies in HRH planning.