Last updated on 9/29/21 | First published on 2/15/21 | Literature review current through Mar. 2024
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Authors:
Elaine Horibe Song MD, PhD, MBA,
Topic editors:
Tiffany Hamm BSN, RN, CWS, ACHRN, UHMSADS,
Jeff Mize RRT, CHT, UHMSADS,
more...
Coauthor(s)
Elaine Horibe Song, MD, PhD, MBACo-Founder and Editor, Wound Reference, Inc;
Professor (Affiliate), Division of Plastic Surgery, Federal University of Sao Paulo;
Chair, Association for the Advancement of Wound Care;
Google Scholar Profile
Disclosures: Nothing to disclose
Editors
Jeff Mize, RRT, CHT, UHMSADS
Disclosures: Nothing to disclose
Tiffany Hamm, BSN, RN, CWS, ACHRN, UHMSADS
Chief Nursing Officer, Wound Reference, IncDisclosures: Nothing to disclose
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INTRODUCTION
Overview
Benchmarking tools may help understand staffing needs for each center. The productivity and acuity tool created by Larson-Lohr for wound care and hyperbaric medicine centers incorporates elements of both patient acuity and staff productivity and provides suggestions on number of full-time employees (FTEs), more specifically nurses, to cover patient demand in a wound and hyperbaric center.[1] These tools are not meant for daily use, but rather to establish a benchmark for the center.
This topic provides a productivity and acuity tool that can be viewed or copied. Once copied, institutions can edit it and use it to find their own benchmark. For guidance on how to develop a lean, cost-effective and patient-centric staffing strategy, see topic "Staffing, Productivity and Acuity Tool for Wound Care and HBOT Centers".
Background
Optimal staffing in wound care and hyperbaric programs results from an understanding of the unique workload and patient acuity in this care setting. Without objective data, the determination of department budgets and adequate staffing routines may be tasks that are difficult to achieve.
To address these needs, Larson-Lohr created and validated a methodology to assess acuity and productivity in hyperbaric and wound care departments. According to Larson-Lohr, the tool was found to accurately reflect patient-care work and suitable as a benchmarking tool for use in monoplace hyperbaric and wound care centers.
PRODUCTIVITY AND ACUITY TOOL
Instructions
- This tool is not meant for daily use, but rather to establish a benchmark for the center.
- The tool, adapted from V. Larson-Lohr's productivity and acuity tool [1], provides an estimated number of full time equivalent (FTE) for wound and HBOT clinics, based on the clinic's average patient acuity and staff productivity (see Figure 1).
- To view and example of how the tool is utilized, click on 'View Sample Data'
- To make a copy that you can edit with your own program's data, click on 'Make a Copy' (please note a Google account is required)
- Once an editable copy has been made:
- The tool has 2 tabs, one for HBOT and one for wound care
- For HBOT FTEs: in the yellow cells, for each typical patient, select 'YES' if an indicator is present. The tool will calculate the estimated number of FTEs, which can be used as a starting point and adjusted according to individual facility needs. Not all 10 patients need to be filled out, only the number of patients typically seen in a day (e.g. if in a typical working day an HBOT clinic treats 5 patients, select 'YES' if an indicator is present for 'Patient 1' to 'Patient 5'. The resulting FTE will appear at the bottom of the tool (in purple); the FTE number varies according to the number of patients in a day and the acuity of each patient
- For Wound Care FTEs: click on the tab Wound Care at the bottom of the spreadsheet
- Besides selecting 'YES' under each patient in the yellow cells, it is recommended that no other cells in the spreadsheet are edited/modified as any change can affect the built-in formulas.
- If support is needed, please contact us via the purple Support button in the left lower corner of this page
Figure 1. Screenshot of the Staffing, Productivity and Acuity Tool. To view sample data or to make a copy of the tool, see links above [1]
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NOTE: This is a controlled document. This document is not a substitute for proper training, experience, and exercising of professional judgment. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents, neither the authors nor the Wound Reference, Inc. give any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them nor accept any liability, with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omissions in the contents of the work.
