Estimate the bedside staff needed for an occupied hospital unit from staffed beds, expected occupancy, care hours per patient day, productive shift hours, and a coverage allowance. The result separates direct workload from the extra coverage needed for breaks, handoffs, leave, and normal variation. Use it for early capacity planning, then reconcile the estimate with acuity, skill-mix, labor rules, and your organization’s staffing standards.
The main result is the average number of staff shifts required each day under the entered assumptions. It is a workload estimate, not a mandated nurse-to-patient ratio or a substitute for an acuity-based staffing system.
Clinical acuity, required skill mix, minimum coverage by shift, local labor rules, and licensing standards are not inferred. Review those constraints before publishing a roster.
For 32 staffed beds at 85% occupancy, 6.5 care hours per patient day, 7.5 productive hours per shift, and 15% coverage:
No. Enter direct productive care hours, then use the coverage allowance for breaks, handoffs, leave, and similar time.
No. It estimates workload-based shifts and does not determine a safe or legally required ratio.
The fraction is an average planning requirement. Actual schedules normally round up and must satisfy minimum coverage by shift.
Run a separate scenario using your credible surge occupancy rather than assuming the usual average.
Only indirectly through the care-hours input. Use a higher care-hours value when a supported acuity model indicates more work.
| Variable | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Occupancy | Expected share of staffed beds in use | Percent |
| Care hours | Direct productive work per occupied bed-day | Hours |
| Coverage | Allowance added to direct workload | Percent |