Problem of nursing care rationing in intensive care units

Background. Nursing care rationing is a global problem that can pose a real threat to the health and lives of patients. The purpose of this study was to learn about the incidence of care rationing by nursing staff and to analyze the activities that are most often getting limited in patient care. Material and methods. A total of 217 nursing staff participated in the survey. The inclusion criteria consisted of working in an intensive care unit and consenting to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire and standardized questionnaires were used in the analysis: BERNCA, GSES, and IZZ. Statistical validity was verified at a=0.05. Results. Lack of staff was the most common reason for care rationing (47.92%). Women rationed nursing care more than men (68.66%). Informing the patient about planned tests or treatment was the activity rationed most frequently (6.47%). As healthy behaviors become more frequent, the incidence of self-efficacy increases and, according to the BERNCA-R questionnaire, the rationing of nursing care becomes markedly more frequent as the number of patients per nurse increases. As the number of nursing jobs and the number of hours a nurse works per month increase, the rationing of nursing care increases markedly as well (p=0.032). Conclusions. The most commonly rationed activity consisted of informing patients about tests or treatment. As the number of patients, working hours and jobs increase, the level of nursing care rationing increases. The level of care rationing increases as the number of additional activities performed increases.