Introduction: Improving surgical outcomes is a priority during the last decades because of the rising economic health care burden. The adoption of enhanced recovery programs has been proven to be part of the solution. In this context, the impact of variations in the nursing care supply-demand ratio on postoperative complications and its economic consequences is still not well elucidated. Because patients require different amounts of care, the present study focused on the more accurate relationship between demand and supply of nursing care rather than the nurse-to-patient ratio.

Methods: Through a 3-year period, 838 patients undergoing elective and emergent colorectal and pancreatic surgery within the institutional enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol were retrospectively investigated. Nursing demand and supply estimations were calculated using a validated program called the Projet de Recherche en Nursing (PRN), which assigns points to each patient according to the nursing care they need ( estimated PRN) and the actual care they received ( real PRN), respectively. The real/estimated PRN ratio was used to create 2 patient groups: one with a PRN ratio higher than the mean (PRN+) and a second with a PRN ratio below the mean (PRN-). These 2 groups were compared regarding their postoperative complication rates and cost-revenue characteristics.

Results: The mean PRN ratio was 0.81. A total of 710 patients (84.7%) had a PRN+ ratio, and 128 (15.3%) had a PRN- ratio. Multivariable analysis focusing on overall complications, severe complications, and prolonged length of stay revealed no significant impact of the PRN ratio for all outcomes ( P > 0.2). The group PRN- had a mean margin per patient of U.S. dollars 1426 (95% confidence interval, 3 to 2903) compared with a margin of U.S. dollars 676 (95% confidence interval, -2213 to 3550) in the PRN+ group ( P = 0.633).

Conclusions: A PRN ratio of 0.8 may be sufficient for patients treated following enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines, pending the adoption of an accurate nursing planning system. This may contribute to better allocation of nursing resources and optimization of expenses on the long run.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000001094DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

prn ratio
24
nursing care
16
enhanced recovery
12
ratio
10
prn
9
impact variations
8
nursing
8
variations nursing
8
care supply-demand
8
supply-demand ratio
8

Similar Publications

Background: Pro re nata (PRN) medication is used "as needed" for symptoms such as agitation and insomnia, in addition to regular daily pharmacotherapy of mental disorders. However, there is no high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of psychotropic PRN medications and concerns have been raised about their potential to contribute to polypharmacy. This study introduced a psychotropic PRN prescription-monitoring programme for psychiatric inpatients with the aim of examining the change before and after the implementation of the programme.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Determination of the Minimum Uncut Chip Thickness of Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy Based on Dead Metal Zone.

Micromachines (Basel)

November 2024

Key Laboratory of Rapid Development & Manufacturing Technology for Aircraft, Shenyang Aerospace University, Ministry of Education, Shenyang 110136, China.

In Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy micro-machining, since the uncut chip thickness (UCT) is comparable to the radius of the tool cutting edge, there exists a minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT), and when the UCT is smaller than the MUCT, the plowing effect dominates the cutting process, which seriously affects the machined surface quality and tool life. Therefore, the reliable prediction of the MUCT is of great significance. This paper used Deform to establish an orthogonal cutting simulation model, studied the effect of the dead metal zone (DMZ) on the micro-cutting material flow, determined the DMZ range, and proposed a new method for determining the MUCT based on the DMZ.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Maternal HIV and malaria infections during pregnancy can negatively impact the transfer of pertussis immunity from mothers to their infants.
  • A study in Mozambique, involving 270 mother-infant pairs, found that mothers with HIV had significantly lower placental transfer of pertussis-specific antibodies compared to those without HIV.
  • The findings suggest that addressing maternal HIV through healthcare interventions and immunization could help protect infants from pertussis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates how the longest treatment-free interval (TFI) between anti-VEGF injections affects visual acuity and the recurrence of macular edema in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) over five years.
  • - It included 60 patients with an average age of nearly 72, finding that 72% experienced recurrence of macular edema, with significant predictors being TFI and initial visual acuity.
  • - The results suggest that longer TFIs lead to worse visual outcomes and higher rates of macular edema recurrence, indicating the need for more frequent injections in cases of severe BRVO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

There is an urgent need to measure the motivation to taste a sweet fluid in order to determine the influence of sweet tastes on the potential choices and consumption of beverages in patients with obesity. Current methods utilize either survey instruments or arbitrary operant tasks. The sipometer enables the participant to utilize an actual ingestive behavioral response to measure motivation during access to beverages on either ad libitum (AL) or progressive time ratio (PR) schedules.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!