Procedural Factors Affecting Nurses’ Workload and Laboratory Efficiency in the Interventional Cardiology

Abstract

Background: Interventional cardiology nursing is a highly specialized nursing specialty in which knowledge and skills from various nursing disciplines such as cardiovascular, intensive care, and operating room nursing are combined. The study was conducted to analyze the procedural factors affecting the workload of interventional cardiology nurses and to determine incompatibilities between supply and requirements in terms of manpower planning and laboratory efficiency. Methods: The study was designed as prospective, observational, and descriptive. The data were collected between May 1 and 30, 2019, in cardiac catheterization laboratory with single operating room. Regarding 4 different interventional procedures, records have been kept about “clinical data for procedures, perioperative nurse functions and workload” and the relationship between those data has been analyzed. Results: In the study, a total of 39 procedures were observed. Mean fluoroscopy times, total nurse workloads, and room turnover times were, respectively, 7.1 ± 2.8, 34.7 ± 9.5, and 9.1 ± 2.7 minutes in coronary angiography, 34.4 ± 23.17, 91.2 ± 51.9, and 15.6 ± 6.6 in percutaneous coronary intervention, 61.9 ± 22.6, 124.6 ± 28.7, and 22.0 ± 3.7 in permanent pacemaker implantation, and 111.6 ± 26.2, 187.3 ± 45.8, and 41.3 ± 20.1 in peripheral vascular interventions. About 41.02% of the procedures took place between 10 am and 1 pm, when there were 3 nurses in the unit. Between 1 pm and 3 pm and between 3 pm and 5 pm when the number of nurses in the unit was 4, the percentage of procedures that took place was 20.5% and 17.9%, respectively. In the peripheral vascular interventions, postoperative nursing workload was found to be higher (P < .001). Conclusion: Workload of interventional cardiology nurses are higher than total operation and fluoroscopy times. The operating room turnover time shortens if the number of circulating nurses involved in procedures increases. In order to improve the efficiency and productivity of these units, it is recommended to consider “fluoroscopy times and nurse workloads in different procedures,” “distribution of procedures during the day,” and “the room turnover times.”