An integrated system for patient assessment and classification and nurse staff allocation for long term care facilities

Abstract

An integrated approach to patient classification and nurse staffing for long term care facilities is constructed, based on the quantification of patient care needs as reflected by formal assessment of a variety of key functioning status items, behavioral status indicators, and medically defined conditions. Nonlinear multiple regression techniques are employed in order to cluster these key assessment indicators in to an easily applied level of care classification method that can be used to determine placement of patients within the long term care system and to indicate the particular nursing care activities called for. Given the classification of patients into the various levels of care required (e.g., Chronic, Skilled Nursing Care, Intermediate A or B) a mixed integer/linear programming model is used to permit presentation of alternative nurse staffing strategies within a long term care facility or program. Extensions to the model portray the effects of changing budgetary, service, and legal restrictions.