Determining staffing requirements in a community hospital pharmacy department.

A community hospital pharmacy did a study to determine staffing requirements. The ability to predict staffing requirements using a standard indicator of workload was sought. The department measured the volume of routine activities over a 4-week period. The service hours performed equaled the volume applied to standard target times. Correlation and multiple regression techniques were used to determine the ability of various workload indicators to predict staffing requirements. The study failed to identify a reliable indicator of workload that would prove useful in predicting staffing requirements. The results facilitated redistribution of workload as a method to improve the use of employees.