Estimating the time involved in managing the 'unoccupied bed:' a time and motion study

Occupied bed days are often used as a demand indicator when calculating the number of nurses required to provide safe care. However, such calculations fail to take into account the amount of nursing time consumed by the "unoccupied bed." This study used direct observation time-and-motion methods to estimate the time and costs associated with a bed that is unoccupied. The average time taken to complete all of the activities associated with a bed that was unoccupied due to an internal transfer was 8.65 minutes, for a patient discharge 26.27 minutes, and for a patient admission 37.7 minutes. An average daily cost for activities surrounding these patient movements was approximately $386/day (AUD) in registered/enrolled nursing salaries alone. The unoccupied bed is not resource neutral and time associated with its maintenance should be considered when calculating nursing requirements to provide safe care.