Benchmarking in nursing care by the RAFAELA patient classification system – a possibility for nurse managers

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Abstract
The aim of the study was to explore the possibilities of benchmarking with the RAFAELA system. In this study, comparisons are made between: (1) costs for one nursing care intensity point; (2) the nursing care intensity per nurse; (3) the relationship between nursing care intensity per nurse and (4) the optimal nursing care intensity. During the period from 1994 to 2000 a new system for patient classification, the RAFAELA system, was developed in Finland. 86 wards from 14 different hospitals in Finland took part in the study. The costs for one nursing care intensity point on the adults' wards were on average 7.80euro. The average workload was 25.2 nursing care intensity points per nurse. The optimal nursing care intensity was exceeded during 49.5% of the days and under during 20% of the days. The study shows that benchmarking with the RAFAELA system provides many opportunities for the nurse managers' resource allocation and their personnel administration.