Time study analysis of nurse workflow

Given their primacy in care delivery, the functions and activities of nurses are of great concern to all hospitals. Rapid Modeling Corporation has developed a work sampling database on nurses from over 65 hospitals. The data were collected using PDAs, with nurses recording their activities periodically throughout their day. Member hospitals purchase the service, contributing their own data for benchmarking against other organizations. This database is being mined to detect trends in computer use, shifts in the pattern of activities, and demographic and regional differences. Following an initial analysis, additional funding will be sought from the Robert Woods Foundation and others.

Collaborators: Rapid Modeling Corporation, IBM, hospital membership