Absenteeism in acute care hospitals.

Lack of standardization in formulas for calculating absenteeism impeded comparison among institutions and comparison to rates reported for the health care industry. Even though illness related benefits, replacement costs for absent employees and attendance incentives absorbed scarce financial resources, more than 40% of hospitals had no standard for excessive absence. Directors of nursing were concerned about staffing and the possibility that employees were tiring to the point of becoming ill. Among directors, concern about absenteeism was greatest in urban hospitals of 100-200 beds.