FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NURSING WORKLOAD IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNITS: INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the evidence available in the national and international literature on the factors associated with nursing workload in the Intensive Care Unit. Method: This is an Integrative Literature Review conducted from January 2003 to December 2013. The survey of studies was conducted on the basis of Latin American and Caribbean Literature Data on Health Sciences and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online. Results: The final sample consisted of 16 items. The analysis of these showed that the variables that were mosly cited as predictors of increased workload in the Intensive Care Unit were the length of stay in the unit, severity and outcome. Patient age had no impact on the workload in most studies. Conclusion: This review has helped understand the variables that have received attention as influence on nursing workload in the Intensive Care Unit, although such relationship cannot be confirmed therefore further studies are needed.