Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) Practice Test

What formula is used to calculate daily workload in a healthcare facility?

1. Total workload hours divided by 30 days

2. Total workload hours divided by 365 days

3. Annual patient visits divided by staff on duty

4. Total patient bed days divided by 24 hours

The correct answer is: Total workload hours divided by 365 days

The calculation of daily workload in a healthcare facility is crucial for determining staff requirements, resource allocation, and overall operational efficiency. The correct option focuses on dividing the total workload hours by 365 days, which provides an average daily workload based on yearly data. This method allows for a comprehensive understanding of the facility's demands over a full year, taking into account variations that may occur due to seasonal illness patterns, patient admissions, or other fluctuations. By averaging the total workload hours over a full year, leaders can create more accurate staffing models that reflect typical daily operations rather than being skewed by shorter time frames like a month. In contrast, dividing total workload hours by 30 days would provide a monthly average, which may not sufficiently capture the broader patterns and trends impacting daily operations. Annual patient visits divided by staff on duty offers insight into productivity and efficiency but doesn't directly inform about daily workloads. Lastly, dividing total patient bed days by 24 hours might inaccurately represent the workload since it accounts only for occupancy without considering the actual workload generated per patient or other activities conducted within the healthcare facility.