| Business pressures as well as quality of care | | | | pounds combined for two British hospitals. A big |
| pressures continually mount on existing care | | | | portion of the savings came from a shift in |
| facilities as resources and staffing constraints | | | | greater permanent nursing employees as opposed |
| decline. In particular, nursing resources are in | | | | to temporary positions and temporary staff |
| limited supply and pose a significant problem in | | | | agency use. By being able to define specific staff |
| both recruiting and retaining skilled nurses. One of | | | | needs, permanent positions at lower costs were |
| the major areas that have significant influence on | | | | added to meet care demands. These monies |
| these factors includes nursing staff rosters. Not | | | | were than able to be spent on other patient care |
| only can effective rosters promote good patient | | | | areas to improve quality and efficiency further. |
| care and nurse satisfaction, they can also save | | | | Technology offers creative solutions in being able |
| hospitals and patient facilities tremendous costs. | | | | to match the hard rules of hospital policy with the |
| Electronic rostering systems now facilitate these | | | | soft demands of employees and patient care. |
| benefits even further. | | | | Variations in staff requirements occur as a result |
| The initial demand for better nurse rostering | | | | of constant fluctuations in patient volume and |
| systems came about as a need for efficiency and | | | | disease demographics within a particular institution. |
| accurate staffing increased. Shortages in nurses in | | | | Having an efficient system that is able to collect |
| general and a lower budget for staffing salaries | | | | and match this information to the available staff |
| motivated hospitals and care facilities to seek | | | | enhances the ability to optimally staff a patient |
| more streamlined solutions. By using electronic | | | | ward. Nurses are happier, patients received better |
| systems, nurses with specific skills are more | | | | care, and facilities reduce extraneous costs. Both |
| easily identified and can be allocated to the right | | | | the hard rules and soft demands mesh into an |
| location at the right time. This is particularly | | | | effective solution for excellent health care. |
| important on night shifts and weekends when | | | | From many perspectives information technology |
| options at larger staff pools are restricted. While | | | | can improve many facets of healthcare through |
| these software solutions provide a better | | | | effective rostering systems. While many |
| assessment of the number and skills of available | | | | employee areas could benefit from this |
| staff, their placement promotes better patient | | | | technology, nurse staffing specifically offers large |
| care and quality outcomes. | | | | advantages due to specialized skills among their |
| Additionally, IT solutions in nurse rostering provide | | | | profession and their reduced supply in relation to |
| immediate benefits in staff satisfaction. | | | | demand. By collecting detailed information on |
| Consistency and accuracy of placing skilled | | | | staffing skills, staffing availabilities, and patient care |
| personnel in a scheduled roster alleviates concerns | | | | demands, electronic rostering provides optimal |
| about inexperienced or under-supplied staffing. A | | | | solutions. In the end, these systems create better |
| nurse with neurological assessment expertise can | | | | quality of care, better staff satisfaction, better |
| be assigned to a brain injury ward instead of a | | | | staff retention and recruitment, and a significant |
| dialysis unit or regular staff floor when a need | | | | long term cost savings. Electronic rostering indeed |
| arises. By having skills in a database and staff | | | | gives a facility the best chance at high level |
| availability, skills and needs are matched correctly. | | | | performance. |
| This creates greater staff contentment and also | | | | References: |
| helps recruiting efforts for additional nursing staff | | | | Burke, Edmund, et al. (2004). The State of the |
| later. As a result, the current staff is more likely | | | | Art of Nurse Rostering. Journal of Scheduling. Vol |
| to be retained and recruitment more successful. | | | | 7 (6): 441-499. |
| Electronic solutions for staff rostering can also | | | | Cheang, B., et al. (2003). Nurse Rostering Problems |
| help the bottom line. In a report out of the United | | | | - A Bibliographic Summary. European Journal of |
| Kingdom, implementation of an electronic rostering | | | | Operational Research. Vol 151(3): 447-60. |
| system yielded an annual saving of 500,000 | | | | |