CATEGORIES OR LEVELS OF CARE OF PATIENTS, NURSING CARE HOURS NEEDED

PER PATIENT PER DAY AND RATIO OF PROFESSIONALS TO NON-PROFESSIONALS.

Levels of car NCH needed per patient per day Ratio of professional to non-professional

Level I 1.5 55:45

Level II 3.0 60:40

Level III 4.5 65:35

Level IV 6.0-7.0 or higher 70:30-80:20

Type of Hospital Minimal care Moderate care Intensive care Highly specialized care

Primary hospital 70 25 5 -

Secondary hospital 65 30 5 -

Tertiary hospital 30 45 15 10

Special tertiary hospital 10 25 45 20

COMPUTING FOR THE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL NEEDED:.

One should ensure that there is sufficient staff to cover all shifts, off- duties, holidays, leaves
absences and time for staff development programs. The forty-hour week law (republic Act 5901)
provides that employees working in hospitals within 100 bed capacity and up will work only 40
hours per week.

Employees working in institutions with less than one hundred bed capacity or those located in
communities with less than one million population will work 48 hours a week and therefore will
get only one off-duty a week.

The latest is the granting of the 3 day special privilege to government employees by the Civil
Commission as a per Memorandum Circular No. 6, series of 1996, which may be spent for
birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, funerals, relocation, enrolment or graduation leave,
hospitalization or accidental leaves. Staffing Formula

To compute for the staff, need in the in- patient units of the hospital, the following steps are
considered. Categorize the number of patients according to the levels of care needed. Multiply the
total number of patients according to the levels of care needed. Multiply by the total number of
patients by the percentage of patients at each level of care (whether minimal, intermediate,
intensive or specialized).

Examples:

250 (patients) X 0.30 = 75 patients needing minimal care

250 (patients) X 0.45 = 112.5 patients needing moderate care

250 (patients) X 0.15 = 37.5 patients needing intensive care

250 (patients) X 0.10 = 25 patients needing highly specialized care

1. Find the total number of nursing care hours needed by the patients at each category level.

2. Find the number of patients at each level by the average number of nursing care hours (NCH)
needed per day.

3. Get the sum of the nursing care hours at various levels:

4. Find the actual number of nursing hours.

Example:

75 patients x 1.5 (level 1) = 112.5 NCH/day

112.5 patients x 3 (level II) = 337.5 NCH/day

37.5 patients x 4.5 (level III) = 168.75 NCH/day

25 patients x 6 (Level IV) = 150 NCH/day

Total = 768.75 NCH/day

Find the actual number of nursing care hours needed by the given number of patients.
Multiply the total nursing care hours needed per day by the total number of days in a year.

Example: 768.75 x 365 (days/year) = 280,593.75 NCH/year

Find the actual number of working hours rendered by each nursing personnel per year.
Multiply the number of hours on duty per day by the actual working days per year.
Example: 8 hours/day x 213 (working days/year) = 1, 704 (working hours/year)

Find the total number of nursing personnel needed

Divide the total number of nursing care needed per year by the actual number of working hours
rendered by an employee per year.

Total NCH per year = 280,593.75 =165

Working hours/year 1,704
Note: Constant values: 0.15 for 40 hours/week; 0.12 for 48 hours per week.

Find the number of relievers. Multiply the number of nursing personnel needed by 0.15 (for
those working 40 hours per week) or by 0.12 (for those working 48 hours per week).

Relief x total nursing personnel = 165 x 0.15 = 25

Add the number of relievers to the number of nursing personnel needed.

Total nursing personnel needed : 165 + 25 = 190

Categorize the nursing personnel into professional to non-professionals. Multiply the number of
nursing personnel according to the ratio of professionals.

Example: 190 x 0.65 = 124 professional nurses; 190 x 0.35 = 66 nursing attendants.

Distribution by shifts:

Note: Morning shift: 45% nursing personnel; afternoon shift- 37% nursing personnel; night shift
- 18% of nursing personnel

Example:

124 nurses x 0.45 = 56 nurses in AM shift

124 nurses x 0.37 = 46 nurses in PM shift

124 nurses x 0.18 = 22 nurses on night shift

Total 124 nurses

1. It should be noted that computing nursing personnel are only for in-patients. Therefore,
additional personnel should be hired for those in supervisory and administrative positions and
for those in special units such as operating room, delivery room, emergency room and
outpatient department.

2. A head nurse is provided for every nursing unit. Likewise, a nursing superior is provided to
cover every shift in each clinical department or area specialty unit and for each geographical
area in hospitals beyond 100 beds and also for each functional area such as training, research,
and infection.
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