In nursing, inadequate workforce lowers the quality of patient care. To counter this challenge, therefore, experts created a systematic method known as patient acuity system which mainly deals with staffing of nurses. The use of this system has proved to be effective in enhancing nurses’ competence and patients’ satisfaction.

Derived from the term acuity which refers to the measurement of the qualityof nursing care that is needed by a patient, patient acuity system can be defined as a systematic  method that uses specialized software and computers to effectively assign enough number of nurses depending on the care required by patients (Dzaher, 2017).  The system ensures that the patients in need of extensive care are placed under more experienced nurses hence improving the quality of care (Dzaher, 2017). Additionally, the system reduces the occurrence of advert events such as falls, medication errors, and even death(Dzaher, 2017). Patient acuity system is indeed instrumental in improving workforce in nursing.

To execute competence in nursing duties requires an effective strategy. One of such approaches is the patient classification system. The first versions of PCS were developed in the 1930s and were used to determine the time needed by a nurse to execute a patient care task (Malloch & Meisel, 2019). Consequently, the experts used timed tasks to determine the number of personnel requiredto perform a specific duty (Malloch & Meisel, 2019). Therefore, PCS assist a nurse manager in determining workload requirements and staffing necessities.

In conclusion, a patient acuity system is a tool used in allocating the right number of nurses depending on the care needed by patients. The system helps in enhancing the workforce and the quality of patient care. The patient classification system is a method used to identify the amount of work required to be done by nurses and what the staff needs to execute the task effectively.

References

Dzaher, A. (2017, March 03). Patient acuity system: A means to optimize patient care. Retrieved from https://today.mims.com/patient-acuity-system–a-means-to-optimise-patient-care

Malloch, K., & Meisel, M. (2013). Patient classification systems: State of the science 2013. Nurse Leader, 11(6), 35. doi: 10.1016/j.mnl.2013.09.008

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