The RAFAELA system: a workforce planning tool for nurse staffing and human resource management
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The RAFAELA system: a workforce planning tool for nurse staffing and human resource management

Lisbeth Fagerström Professor of nursing science, Buskerud and Vestfold University College faculty of health sciences, Kongsberg, Norway
Kjersti Lønning Nurse manager, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
Marit Helen Andersen Researcher, Oslo University Hospital, Norway

Lisbeth Fagerström and colleagues describe a method pioneered in Finnish hospitals that aims to uphold staffing levels in accordance with patients’ care needs

The RAFAELA system was developed in Finland during the 1990s to help with the systematic and daily measurement of nursing intensity (NI) and allocation of nursing staff. The system has now been rolled out across almost all hospitals in Finland, and implementation has started elsewhere in Europe and Asia. This article describes the system, which aims to uphold staffing levels in accordance with patients’ care needs, and its structure, which consists of three parts: the Oulu Patient Classification instrument; registration of available nursing resources; and the Professional Assessment of Optimal Nursing Care Intensity Level method, as an alternative to classical time studies. The article also highlights the benefits of using a systematic measurement of NI.

Nursing Management. 21, 2, 30-36. doi: 10.7748/nm2014.04.21.2.30.e1199

Correspondence

lisbeth.fagerstrom@hbv.no

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 18 February 2014

Accepted: 31 March 2014

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