The work sampling analysis in nursing and healthcare facilities

Operators of nursing or health care facilities have to master a balancing act every day. On the one hand, the services offered to people have to be of excellent quality, on the other hand, there is extreme price pressure. The challenges are intensified by the last two years - because the Corona pandemic has led to a significantly thinned out staffing level. Too few skilled workers, too many tasks with too little income: The nursing and healthcare sector in Germany is facing enormous difficulties. In order for existing potential in the facilities to be exploited and optimized in the best possible way, one thing above all is required: transparency in the processes within the facility.

In order to discover untapped economic potential in the clinic or care facility and at the same time not disrupt workflows, it is recommended to first conduct a work sampling analysis with self-recording. Here, the processes and workflows that are to be examined must be defined. It is also advisable to hold a workshop to familiarize the employees involved with the individual steps involved in the work sampling analysis and to present the processes in a comprehensible way. Depending on the size of the facility, the work sampling analysis should be scheduled to run for about one month. In this way, fluctuations, for example due to sick leave or vacation of individual employees, can be optimally balanced out.

The work sampling analysis can be used to uncover untapped potential in a wide variety of areas of a nursing or healthcare facility. From tasks to processes to individual workplaces or entire departments, optimization opportunities are identified, which can then be examined in more detail through in-depth process studies. The professional and appreciative involvement of employees in the process of work sampling analysis enables operators to better deploy the required resources at the right time and to the right extent in the future. A win from an economic perspective: yes. A win for the patients or residents: definitely!