Application of patient classification in the development of a model of nursing care management in a public hospital

Abstract

This article describes the implementation of a method used to classify patients, created by nurses from the Clinical Hospital of the Universidad Católica de Chile. This method also allows for the identification of the profile of patients seen in a public hospital according to level of risk and dependence. The incorporation of Patient Classification into the nursing care process of nurses and midwives allows for the comparing of attention needs of different units, optimisation of hospital beds and also forms the basis of evaluation of nursing work load. These elements are part of the management model of care development. The process of Patient Classification included team training on classification, validation and adaptation of instruments, training those responsible for classification, and a systematized report of results and evaluation of classification. The results were: The adaptation of an instrument carried out by experts from the institution, the integration of nurses and midwives as "classifiers", who became involved in the classification of their patients, and development of a system for the evaluation of the results of classification, contemplating two methods: validation of a sample of categorized patients which was carried out monthly by monitors from other sectors and the following of patients on consecutive days who were categorized by different people.