Factors related to Nursing workload in the Oncology assistance provided to hospitalized women.
Talita Balaminut, Gabriela Alves Godoy, Elenice Valentim Carmona and 1 others
PMID 38511732WHAT IT FOUND
Hospitalized women with gynecological or breast cancer required about seven nursing hours daily.
Lower admission self-care ability, gynecological cancer, and clinical treatment were associated with more nursing time.
Key findings
01Women with gynecological cancer had a median NAS score 4.4 points higher than women with breast cancer, equivalent to one hour and 34 minutes.
02Women with KPS at admission 50% or less had a median NAS score 17.2 points higher than women with KPS above 50%, equivalent to 4 hours and 8 minutes.
03The longest mean nursing times in 24 hours were monitoring and controls (1 hour and 20 minutes), hygiene procedures (1 hour and 18 minutes), administrative and managerial tasks (1 hour and 17 minutes), and medications (1 hour and 14 minutes).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot show that cancer type, treatment, or functional capacity caused higher nursing workload. The sample was a convenience sample from one hospital's oncology units, so it may not represent other settings or patients. NAS, even adapted for oncology, does not measure all nursing work and misses some indirect activities and the emotional burden of oncology nursing. Few participants received chemotherapy or radiotherapy during hospitalization, so the study could not adequately investigate their relationship with functional capacity and workload. There were no comparable studies with this specific patient profile, making external comparison difficult.
Declared interests
The study was supported by FAEPEXUNICAMP (Process 2487/21). No other conflicts of interest are stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher NAS scores for gynecological cancer, clinical treatment, or low KPS as proof that these patients need more nurses. The study was cross-sectional, used a convenience sample from one hospital, and NAS did not measure all nursing demands.