An Evaluative Study of the Navy Medical Department's Patient Classification System and Staffing Allocation System. (The Workload Management System for Nursing)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Workload Management System for Nursing (WMSN) which includes a patient classification system and staffing methodology. The system is currently being used in 36 naval hospitals. In addition, the perceptions of registered nurses regarding the usefulness of the system as a management tool were measured using written questionnaires. The WMSN was tested at six hospitals selected to provide a representative mix of CONUS facilities by size, geographic location, nursing unit configuration, and population served. Additional selection criteria included the availability of up-to-date monthly nurse staffing information and inter-rater reliability testing reports for a minimum of four months.