Page 58 - ACCCN's Critical Care Nursing

Resourcing Critical Care 35

Learning activities
Learning activities 1–4 relate to the case study. staffing and equipment needs, as determined in 1, 2 and 3
1. Calculate the staffing numbers in FTEs that you will require in above. Your task is to compromise where you can to make
the first instance and then when fully functional. Determine staffing and equipment as efficient as possible on a budget
the estimated cost of fully staffing the unit to your satisfaction, that is 80% of that requested in the above questions. Explain
including productive and non-productive FTEs. the reductions you believe you can afford to make in staffing
2. List the standard clinical equipment that you will require for and equipment purchases. How many beds do you think you
each functional bed area, and estimate the cost of this can safely maintain open on this budget?
equipment. 6. Identify a new service that may be required in your healthcare
3. List the one-off clinical equipment items that will be required setting (e.g. the provision of neurosurgery/cardiothoracic
for the unit (i.e. the central monitor, ECG machines, broncho- surgery/hyperbaric chamber) and undertake a cost–benefit
scopes). Determine how many of each you will need in the first analysis of providing this service to your community.
instance and how many you will need when the ICU is fully 7. Identify a piece of equipment or new product that your unit is
functional. Determine the estimated cost of the total equip- considering for purchase and undertake a product evaluation
ment purchase to fully establish the 20-bed unit. to determine its cost-effectiveness.
4. Choose one of the major equipment items that you have iden- 8. Develop a surge plan for your facility to accommodate an
tified in question 3 and write a business case to support its increase in demand for critical care beds. In your plan identify
purchase. all resources that could be redirected to facilitate the imple-
5. Imagine that the hospital wants to open all 20 beds but pro- mentation of this plan.
vides you with only enough funding to cover 80% of your total

FURTHER READING 6. Queensland Health. 2010–2011 Business rules & guidelines, Version 1.2. [Cited
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Grover A. Critical care workforce: a policy perspective. Crit Care Med 2006; 8. Department of Human Services, Victoria. Funding for intensive care in
34(3Suppl): S7–11. Victorian public hospitals, prepared March 2010. [Cited October 2010].
Kirchhoff KT, Dahl N. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ national Available from: http://www.health.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/
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