Developing the nursing care intensity system and determining theideal number of nurses

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop the nursing care intensity system by create the patient classification system scale (PCSS) and the ideal nursing care intensity level scale and to determine the ideal number of nurses to meet the patient care needs in the neurological intensive care unit. Method: The study was conducted with 6 nurses working in the neurological intensive care unit of Süleyman Demirel University hospital, between 01 February and 30 August 2022 with 94-day observations. Nurse personal information form, patient classification system scale, ideal nursing care intensity level scale, list for non-care nursing activities, the System Usability Scale, and participant training checklist were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using Kendall's W test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Kappa coefficient, Cochran Q test, Friedman S test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and regression analysis. Findings: The compatibility level of expert opinions was analyzed with Cohen's Kappa analysis. Accordingly, Kappa coefficient between U1, U2, U5, U6 and U7 evaluations was κ=1.0, while it was K=0.524 with U3 and κ=0.612 with U4. The correlation between the perception of ideal nursing care intensity and patient care intensity per nurse was determined to be high (r:0.731; p:<0.001). According to the results of the regression analysis, it was determined that the patient care intensity per nurse accounted for 53.4% ​​of the perception of ideal nursing care intensity (R 2 =0.534; p<0.001). The item controlling unit entry and exit was correlated at low level with the perception of ideal nursing care intensity (r=0.277; p<0.013). According to the study's findings, the participants considered the web page as highly usable (Kendall's W= 0.433, Sd= 9, p=.000, SUS=77.75±1.932) Conclusion: It has been determined that the nurse care intensity system is a highly valid and usable method. The nursing care intensity system can calculate the number of nurses in the neurological intensive care unit. Keywords: care intensity, nurse, determination of ideal number of nurses, scale development.