Using Acuity to Predict Oncology Infusion Center Daily Nurse Staffing and Outcomes

Outpatient oncology infusion centers (OICs) struggle to accurately predict nurse staffing needs to care for scheduled patients. Acuity has been a proposed solution to improve staffing predictions and satisfaction (DeLisle, 2009; Vortherms et al., 2015). Acuity aims to recognize that patients have varying care needs and can provide a more accurate quantification of the required nursing care in this setting. Literature reviews and background interviews revealed that OICs without acuity scores use available metrics of visit volumes or patient hours for staffing projections (Nevidjon, 2018).