Comparing the Two Techniques for Nursing Staff Rescheduling to Streamline Nurse Managers' Daily Work in Finland

: Tuominen Outi, Lundgren-Laine Heljä, Teperi Simo, Salanterä Sanna

Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

: 2020

: CIN: Computers Informatics Nursing

: Computers, informatics, nursing : CIN

: Comput Inform Nurs

: 38

: 3

: 148

: 156

: 9

: 1538-2931

: 1538-9774

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000567

The aim of this study was to identify nurse managers' daily tasks during the rescheduling of sudden nursing staff absences by comparing two techniques: a paper-based system as phone calls and emails or information technology-based staffing systems. In addition, it is intended to evaluate the usability of information technology-based staffing solutions and evaluate estimated cost savings by using hospital permanent staff to cover sudden absences. A quasi-experimental pretest and posttest one-group study design was used to evaluate nurse managers' (n = 61) daily tasks (n = 5800) during rescheduling nursing staff sudden absences (n = 2628); furthermore, we engaged in observations and provided estimates of cost savings generated by our proposed intervention. The number of nurse manager tasks during rescheduling decreased significantly (P < .001) as well as unstaffed shifts (P < .001) and unplanned shift changes (P < .001) after the information technology-based scheduling system was implemented. The usability score ranged from 76 to 100, showing that the information technology-based scheduling solution has good usability. The use of information technology-based staffing solution can streamline the rescheduling process, save nurse managers time for other activities, and offer organizations opportunities for cost savings.