{"title":"ICU护士的工作量:护理活动评分的系统回顾和荟萃分析","authors":"Lei Li , Xiaoyin Zou , Hua Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.iccn.2025.104086","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>Intensive care units (ICUs) are high-demand environments where nurse workload management is critical for ensuring quality patient care and nurse well-being. The Nursing Activities Score (NAS) is widely used to quantify nursing workload, yet individual studies report heterogeneous findings. This systematic review and <em>meta</em>-analysis aimed to synthesize global data on ICU nursing workload using the NAS.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A comprehensive literature search was conducted in multiple databases without language restrictions, identifying studies reporting mean NAS scores. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers, and a random-effects <em>meta</em>-analysis was performed to pool NAS values. Subgroup analyses and <em>meta</em>-regression were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 70 observational studies, encompassing data from 56,042 ICU patients, were included. The <em>meta</em>-analysis revealed a pooled mean NAS of 66.2% (95% CI: 62.6–69.8%), indicating that, on average, ICU nurses spend nearly two-thirds of their shift on direct patient care for a single patient. Higher NAS values were observed during patient admission and the morning shift, with a significant increase during the COVID-19 period compared to pre-pandemic levels.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our analysis revealed that ICU nurses spend a substantial part of their shift on direct patient care, especially during high-demand periods. These findings challenge traditional nurse-to-patient ratios, suggesting the need for flexible staffing models.</div></div><div><h3>Implications for Clinical Practice</h3><div>The current nursing staff level within ICU settings may not be adequate for the average nursing workload in some countries. Consideration should be given to dynamic staffing models that can consider increased nursing workload.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51322,"journal":{"name":"Intensive and Critical Care Nursing","volume":"91 ","pages":"Article 104086"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Workload in ICU nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Nursing Activities Score\",\"authors\":\"Lei Li , Xiaoyin Zou , Hua Chen\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.iccn.2025.104086\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>Intensive care units (ICUs) are high-demand environments where nurse workload management is critical for ensuring quality patient care and nurse well-being. The Nursing Activities Score (NAS) is widely used to quantify nursing workload, yet individual studies report heterogeneous findings. This systematic review and <em>meta</em>-analysis aimed to synthesize global data on ICU nursing workload using the NAS.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A comprehensive literature search was conducted in multiple databases without language restrictions, identifying studies reporting mean NAS scores. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers, and a random-effects <em>meta</em>-analysis was performed to pool NAS values. Subgroup analyses and <em>meta</em>-regression were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 70 observational studies, encompassing data from 56,042 ICU patients, were included. The <em>meta</em>-analysis revealed a pooled mean NAS of 66.2% (95% CI: 62.6–69.8%), indicating that, on average, ICU nurses spend nearly two-thirds of their shift on direct patient care for a single patient. Higher NAS values were observed during patient admission and the morning shift, with a significant increase during the COVID-19 period compared to pre-pandemic levels.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our analysis revealed that ICU nurses spend a substantial part of their shift on direct patient care, especially during high-demand periods. These findings challenge traditional nurse-to-patient ratios, suggesting the need for flexible staffing models.</div></div><div><h3>Implications for Clinical Practice</h3><div>The current nursing staff level within ICU settings may not be adequate for the average nursing workload in some countries. Consideration should be given to dynamic staffing models that can consider increased nursing workload.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":51322,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Intensive and Critical Care Nursing\",\"volume\":\"91 \",\"pages\":\"Article 104086\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":4.7000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-06-07\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Intensive and Critical Care Nursing\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964339725001478\",\"RegionNum\":2,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"NURSING\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Intensive and Critical Care Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964339725001478","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
Workload in ICU nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Nursing Activities Score
Aim
Intensive care units (ICUs) are high-demand environments where nurse workload management is critical for ensuring quality patient care and nurse well-being. The Nursing Activities Score (NAS) is widely used to quantify nursing workload, yet individual studies report heterogeneous findings. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize global data on ICU nursing workload using the NAS.
Methods
A comprehensive literature search was conducted in multiple databases without language restrictions, identifying studies reporting mean NAS scores. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers, and a random-effects meta-analysis was performed to pool NAS values. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity.
Results
A total of 70 observational studies, encompassing data from 56,042 ICU patients, were included. The meta-analysis revealed a pooled mean NAS of 66.2% (95% CI: 62.6–69.8%), indicating that, on average, ICU nurses spend nearly two-thirds of their shift on direct patient care for a single patient. Higher NAS values were observed during patient admission and the morning shift, with a significant increase during the COVID-19 period compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Conclusion
Our analysis revealed that ICU nurses spend a substantial part of their shift on direct patient care, especially during high-demand periods. These findings challenge traditional nurse-to-patient ratios, suggesting the need for flexible staffing models.
Implications for Clinical Practice
The current nursing staff level within ICU settings may not be adequate for the average nursing workload in some countries. Consideration should be given to dynamic staffing models that can consider increased nursing workload.
期刊介绍:
The aims of Intensive and Critical Care Nursing are to promote excellence of care of critically ill patients by specialist nurses and their professional colleagues; to provide an international and interdisciplinary forum for the publication, dissemination and exchange of research findings, experience and ideas; to develop and enhance the knowledge, skills, attitudes and creative thinking essential to good critical care nursing practice. The journal publishes reviews, updates and feature articles in addition to original papers and significant preliminary communications. Articles may deal with any part of practice including relevant clinical, research, educational, psychological and technological aspects.