The purpose of this study is to describe variability in nursing resource consumption throughout the course of hospitalization and among patients within selected Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG's).
Three specific aims are identified: (1) to investigate and establish acceptable levels of reliability for a measure of nursing intensity entitled the Patient Intensity for Nursing Index (PINI); (2) to examine validity of the PINI; and (3) to use the PINI in a descriptive study of resource consumption among hospitalized patients to establish patient need for nursing care and associated nursing costs throughout the course of hospitalization and across selected DRG's. To accomplish these purposes three separate but related substudies are proposed in this four year project. Seven community hospitals have indicated interest in participating in all three phases of the study. The first study involves training Registered Nurses in the use of the Patient Intensity for Nursing Index (PINI) and establishing the intra and interrater reliability of the measure. The second substudy examines construct validity and also reassess reliability following anticipated revisions in the measure. The third and final substudy uses the PINI in a descriptive study of nursing resource consumption. Specifically, the study seeks to examine: the pattern of patient intensity for nursing throughout the course of hospitalization; the variability in patient intensity for nursing within and across selected DRG's; the cost estimates derived from the patient intensity for nursing index; the comparison of those estimates with estimates produced by other measures, and the comparisons of nursing care costs across hospitals.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NR001451-03
Application #
3391356
Study Section
(SRC)
Project Start
1986-09-01
Project End
1990-11-30
Budget Start
1988-09-01
Budget End
1990-11-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1988
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Maryland Baltimore
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
003255213
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21201
Prescott, P A; Ryan, J W; Soeken, K L et al. (1991) The Patient Intensity for Nursing Index: a validity assessment. Res Nurs Health 14:213-21
Soeken, K L; Prescott, P A (1991) Patient intensity for nursing index: the measurement model. Res Nurs Health 14:297-304
Prescott, P A (1991) Nursing intensity: needed today for more than staffing. Nurs Econ 9:409-14
Castorr, A H; Thompson, K O; Ryan, J W et al. (1990) The process of rater training for observational instruments: implications for interrater reliability. Res Nurs Health 13:311-8
Ryan, J W; Phillips, C Y; Prescott, P A (1988) Interrater reliability: the underdeveloped role of rater training. Appl Nurs Res 1:148-50