Algorithm addresses nurse burnout

A charge nurse at Sentara Leigh Hospital came up with an idea for a patient acuity nursing tool to optimize nursing assignments, resulting in improved care for patients and workload for nurses. The algorithm calculates the workload of the direct patient care team based on the nursing interventions documented in the electronic health record. Kristen Danley, RN, suggested the idea at the Norfolk, Va.-based hospital to help her to avoid assigning nurses on her unit to care for too many patients simultaneously. Sentara Health uses the algorithm in more than 100 nursing units across its 12 hospitals. (13NewsNow article, 3/26/24)