Acuity Rating System - Documenting and Reporting

Question 1

Nurses use ___ ratings to determine the hours of care and number of staff required for a given group of patients every shift or every 24 hours.

Answer 1

acuity

Question 2

A patient’s ___ level, usually determined by assessment data entered into a computer program by a registered nurse, is based on the type and number of nursing interventions (e.g., intravenous [IV] therapy, wound care, or ambulation assistance) required by a patient over a 24-hour period.

Answer 2

acuity

Question 3

Although ___ ratings are not part of a patient’s medical record, nursing documentation within the medical record provides evidence to support the assessment of an ___ rating for an individual patient.

Answer 3

acuity x2

Question 4

The ___ level is a classification used to compare one or more patients to another group of patients. For example, an ___ system classifies bathing patients from 1 (independent in all but one or two aspects of care; almost ready for discharge) to 5 (totally dependent in all aspects of care; requiring intensive care).

Answer 4

acuity x2

Question 5

Using this system, for example, a patient returning from surgery requiring frequent monitoring and extensive care has an ___ level of 3 compared with another patient awaiting discharge after a successful recovery from surgery who has an ___ level of 1.

Answer 5

acuity x2

Question 6

Accurate ___ ratings justify the number and qualifications of staff needed to safely care for patients.

Answer 6

acuity x2

Question 7

The patient-to-staff ratios established for a unit depend on a composite gathering of 24-hour ___ data for all patients receiving care.

Answer 7

acuity