Nursing workload and staff allocation in an intensive care unit: a pilot study according to Nursing Activities Score (NAS).

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to identify the daily nursing workload in an intensive care unit (ICU) and to analyse the adequacy of nursing staff in a six hour shift according to the Nursing Activities Score (NAS).

Method: The sample consisted of 68 patients from a general 25-bed adult ICU in a private hospital with 250 beds in São Paulo, Brazil. The nursing workload of all patients admitted in the ICU over a one month period in 2004 were measured daily according to the NAS.