Validation of SIPI and comparison with objective nursing workload

BackgroundAccurately estimating nursing care workload upon hospital admission is crucial for resource allocation. Despite the introduction of tools like the 'Information System of Nursing Performance' (SIPI) in Italy, studies evaluating their effectiveness are lacking.AimThis study aimed to validate SIPI based on nursing care demands in an internal medicine ward.DesignSingle-centre, observational study of all patients admitted to an internal medicine department in an Italian hospital from 1 September to 31 December 2022.MethodsNursing activities were documented over the first 3 days of hospitalization using a standardized form, measured as performance/5 min/patient/day. Multivariate analysis assessed SIPI's association with nursing workload. SIPI's ability to predict excessive nurse workload was evaluated using the AUROC curve.ResultsThe study included 306 patients. Mean SIPI value was 53.9 (20.6). Daily average care demands varied by SIPI category: 20.7 performances in very low, 26.8 in medium-low, 28.7 in medium-high, and 32.4 in very high (P = 0.001). SIPI was independently associated with increased care demands (OR: 1.024; 1.002-1.047, P = 0.033). The AUROC for SIPI predicting excessive workload was 0.614 (95% CI: 0.545-0.683).ConclusionsSIPI is useful for identifying nursing workload and correlates with patient care demands.