Do frail elderly people affect the nursing workload in intensive care units?

The study used convenience sampling at one hospital, so the results may not apply to other ICUs. No sample size calculation was performed, so the study may not have had enough patients to detect a real difference. Frailty was assessed with a self-report scale, and a proxy answered for many sedated or comatose patients, which may have made frailty classification less accurate. Nursing workload was measured only during the first week, so it may not capture the workload of longer-term chronic critical illness. The study excluded patients in palliative care, so it does not address nursing workload in end-of-life ICU care. The analysis looked at NAS scores, not the number of nursing professionals needed, so it may not fully answer staffing questions.

Do not conclude that frail elderly ICU patients need more nursing time or staffing. The workload scores did not differ between frail and non-frail groups, even though frail patients had higher illness severity.