For the purposes of
this article, we refer to two nurse
staff allocation methods used in
various forms in some hospitals in
Australia and New Zealand: nurse
patient ratios (NPRs) and computerized nurse dependency workload systems. Generally, computerized nurse dependency workload systems incorporate the
dimension of patient acuity. The terms
patient acuity, nurse dependency,
and
patient dependency
refer to similar phenomenon where
patient needs for nursing care are
described and/or measured. In
some Australian health services,
NPRs are part of a formalized system. In other health services,
nurse-patient ratios have been
adapted by hospital managers
internally as a model for setting
safe staff levels external to formalized structures.