Evaluation of the activity processes of the therapeutic unit nurses in x district hospital

Aim of the study: to evaluate the time commitment of nurses’ for their practice processes on an inpatient thearpeutic unit and their view on practice operating losses. Objectives: 1. To evaluate the time commitment of nurses’ for their practice processes on an inpatient thearpeutic unit by time and motion obeservation. 2. To find out time commitment spent on practice processes according to nurses. 3. To compare nurses’ opinion on their practice operating time commitment with findings of time-and-motion studies. 4. To find out nurses’ view on their practice operating time losses. Methods: For monitoring time-and-motion studies were applied as a method of X regional hospital, in neurology and internal medicine departments; duration of 2 940 min. (49 h). Conducted questionnaires of all 68 nurses on an inpatient thearpeutic units (74 forms were distributed in total). Response rate of 91.89 percent. For statistical analysis of the results IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 programme had been used. Results have statistically significant effect (at p < 0.05). Results: Nurses of neurology and internal medicine departments spent 50.34 percent of their time for a direct patient care, 19.34 percent indirect patient care, 22.31 percent personal time, 8.01 percent unit–related functions. In the opinion of same nurses dedicated working time assigned as direct, indirect and unit-related, consequently as 73 percent, 12.47 percent and 10.06 percent. For personal time 3.65 percent was assigned, contrary to objective observations. In the opinion of all nurses for a direct care they spend 71.81 percent, 13.45 percent for indirect, 10.87 percent for unit–related duties, 3.84 percent for personal time. In these departments overproduction, downtime, bureaucracy, fails, transporting, movement and knowledge losses were identified. Conclusions: Nurses of neurology and internal medicine departments spend most of their time for direct patient care and the least of their time for unit-related duties. In the opinion of all nurses on an inpatient thearpeutic units most of their working time they dedicate to direct care and the least to personal time. Objective and subjective results differ statistically significant. Seven out of eigth types of losses prevail in therapeutic departments