OBJECTIVE: To analyze the staff sizing of the Intensive Care Unit for Adults (ICU-A) by means of the Nursing Activities Score (NAS) and the COFEN Resolution No. 293/2004. METHODS: Is a descriptive and exploratory study performed in the UCI-A, in a teaching hospital in Paraná, between May/2008 and November/2007. The population consisted of 107 patients who stayed more than 24 hours in that unit. RESULTS: According to the results, the average of the NAS (697.3 points) showed: a high workload of nursing; the nursing staff of this sector should have 40 professionals instead of the current 28; the proportion of 35.7% nurses does not correspond with the recommended, which is 52.5%. CONCLUSION: Despite some limitations of the NAS to measure the nursing workload in the UCI-A and also the limitations of the empirical Technical Safety Index recommended for the national level, it was concluded that both methods contribute to the sizing of the nursing staff to better serve that needs of that service.
Health personnel management; Intensive care units; Personnel downsizing; Critical care; Occupational health
