Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 80-02(E), Section: B.

Adviser: Margaret L. Holland.

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Objective: This study was designed to develop a model for predicting nurse scheduling needs in a hospital unit based on historical patient census and nurse staffing requirements.

Background: Many hospitals use outdated non-data driven methods for nurse scheduling.

Methods: Historical nurse scheduling and staffing datasets for 2015, 2016, and 2017 from a 33-bed surgical unit in an inner-city urban hospital in Portland, Oregon, were used to build a predictive model for nurse scheduling needs.

Results: The patient census for 2017 was three patients higher than the two previous years and showed a variation in the day of the week, with a consistent weekly trend of more nurses needed at the beginning of the week and fewer needed during the weekend.

Conclusion: Based on model predictions, nurse scheduling in this unit should vary by day of the week, which has not historically been done.