Title Examining the issues of calculating the staffing requirements of nurses: A

comparative study of healthcare facilities in Pakistan

Principal Ms Sabrina Jehangir
Investigator
Department Human Resources and Management
Faculty Westminster Business School
Chief Mrs Caroline Bolam
Investigator

Proposal
Project title
Examining the issues of calculating the staffing requirements of nurses: A comparative study of
healthcare facilities in Pakistan

1.1 Please provide a description of the background with references to relevant literature
(250 words)
Human resources play a central role in the provision of health care services and thus are critical for
the effectiveness and efficiency of the health systems. In the present day the rising demand for
efficient provision of enhanced healthcare services is increasing the pressure on healthcare systems
(Hossain and Alam, 1999). This has resulted in the increase to the cost of delivery of healthcare
services (Das et al. 2013). Developed as well as developing countries are searching for more
effective methods to enhance the accessibility of their population to health services they provide. In
such a situation a health workforce if managed and utilized efficiently can prove to be helpful in the
improvement of the overall health care systems. Recruiting the required number of people with the
required skills and attitudes can improve workforce management (Kayani et al. 2015). Workforce is
a central component for the effective functioning and performance of healthcare systems as these
systems are fundamentally labor intensive. A key concern for the health policy makers, professional
bodies and health organizations is the shortage of healthcare personnel. Workforce planning is
recognized as an important tool for managing shortages as well as surpluses within the labor market
(Grueningen et al. 2012). Workforce planning is an active HR strategy, the concept of which has
been deliberated upon at professional conferences and within professional journals and publications
for a long while. The need for formalized strategic planning of workforce has been recognized by HR
professionals and decision makers since the late 1990s (Johnson & Brown, 2004). According to the
JLI 2004 report and the WHO World Health Report 2006, Pakistan is recorded as one of the 57
countries with critical health workforce deficiency. Due to this deficiency Pakistan is far from
achieving its goal of Health for All despite the existence of infrastructures for Primary Health care
and health services delivery.

1.2 Please provide a brief description and the aims of your study (250 words)
The focus of this research is to conduct a comparative analysis of the methods applied by some of
the hospitals in Pakistan to calculate their staffing requirements of nurses. The research will also
focus on the identification and analysis of the problems faced while calculating the staffing
requirements using Workload Indicator for Staffing Needs as a benchmark tool
1.3 Please outline the design and methodology of your study and details of any invasive
or intrusive procedures (400 words)
Research Design: This research will be explanatory in nature taking three hospitals as samples for
the study. The administrative staff and nurses from the radiology department of these three hospitals
will be questioned to collect data. Due to the time constraint and the size of the research, sample
hospitals are selected from the Punjab province of Pakistan. However the secondary data regarding
the issues faced by healthcare facilities, while calculating the staffing needs, will be collected from
all over the country.
A comparative analysis, of the methods used to calculate the staffing requirements at these
hospitals, will be conducted.In addition an abductive approach will be taken towards conducting
the research.
Methodology: A mixed method approach will be used t conduct the research. Semi-structured
interviews will be used to conduct the pilot study in one of the selected health care facilities. Using
these interviews as a foundation a survey/questionnaire will be developed, which will then be used to
gather data from other selected healthcare facilities.
Secondary data will be collected in terms of existing literature on the staffing issues in Pakistan such
as government census reports, previous researches on Pakistans health care systems etc. The
hospital data highlighting staffing trends over the past years will also be collected from the sample
hospital to gain better understanding of the extent of staffing problems in the health care facilities of
the country.

1.4 Start date

24 Jul 2017

1.5 Estimated duration of work

2 weeks for the interviews and survey distribution & collection

External factors
2.1 Does your research include links with external organisation(s)?
Yes

2.2 Have you received ethical approval from an external research ethics body? (Please
see information box for further guidance)
No

2.3 Have you been asked by an external organisation to produce evidence of ethical
approval for your research?
No

Participants
4 Does this research proposal (as proposed to Research Ethics Committee in its current
status) include Research Participants (humans and/or animals, either deceased or alive)?
Yes
5 If your research fieldwork will not be carried out on University premises, please state the
location of your research.
Location
Region
South Asia

Country
Pakistan

Part A
6.1 Will any pain or more than mild discomfort result from the study?
No

6.2 Could the study induce any psychological stress or anxiety or cause harm or negative
consequences beyond the risks encountered in normal life?
No

6.3 Will the study involve prolonged or repetitive physical or psychological testing of
human participants that may put someone at risk, e.g. use of treadmill?
No

6.4 Will the study involve raising sensitive topics (e.g. sexual activity, drug use, revelation of
medical history, bereavement, illegal activities, etc.)?
No

6.5 Does your work involve any relevant material containing human cells (e.g. blood,
urine, saliva, body tissues but NOT established cell-lines) from living or deceased persons
(Such work must take account of the Human Tissue Act)?
No

6.6 Will DNA samples be taken from human participants (Such work must take account of the
Human Tissue Act)?
No

6.7 Does your study raise any issues of personal safety for you or other researchers or
participants involved in the project (especially relevant if taking place outside working
hours or off University premises)?
No

6.8 Does your study involve deliberately misleading the participants (e.g. deception, covert
observation)?
No
6.9 Does your work involve administration of a food or non-food substance of a different
type from or in abnormally higher or lower amounts than normal or one that is known to
cause allergic reaction(s) or potential psychological stress?
No

6.10 Does your study involve issues relating to personal and/or sensitive data?
No

Participants
7.1 Human participants in Health and Social Care settings?
No

7.2 Human participants who may be deemed vulnerable due to their setting(s)?
No

7.3 Expectant or new mothers?

No

7.4 Refugees or asylum seekers or recent migrants?

No

7.5 Minors (under the age of 18 years old)?

No

7.6 Participants in custody (e.g. prisoners or arrestees)?

No

7.7 Participants with impaired mental capacity (e.g. severe mental illness, brain damage,
sectioned under Mental Health Act, lowered or reduced sense of consciousness)?
No

7.8 Animals (or animal tissue)?

No

Information to participants
8.1 Will you provide participants with a Participant Information Sheet prior to
obtaining informed consent which can be taken away by the participant?
Yes

8.2 Will you describe the procedures to participants in advance, so that they are informed
about what to expect?
Yes

8.3 Will you obtain informed consent for participation (normally written)?
Yes

8.4 Will you tell participants that they may withdraw from the research at any time and for any
reason?
Yes

8.5 Will you give participants the option of omitting questions they do not want to answer?
Yes

8.6 Will you tell participants that their data will be treated as confidential and that, if
published, it will not be identifiable as theirs?
Yes

8.7 Will you offer feedback to participants at the end of their participation, upon request (e.g.
give them a brief explanation of the study and its outcomes)?
Yes

Externals
Funding and links with external organisations
13.1 If your work involves research which includes working with or being facilitated by those
external to the University, please provide details of any organisations/individuals involved.
Contact name
Col. Ayaz Rasul

Organisation
Commanding Officer, Heavy Industries Hospital Taxila

Address

Telephone
+923007511705

Email
rasulayaz@gmail.com

13.2 Please upload any agreement letters/emails from the External Organisation which
are ready for consideration by the Research Ethics Committee, or indicate if these will be
provided later.
Agreement letters/emails uploaded

13.3 Is this study initiated/sponsored by the external organisation?

No
If yes, give the name of the organisation/individual who is initiating and/or sponsoring
the study:

13.4 What benefits will you receive, if any, for conducting this research by the organisation or
individual named above?

13.5 Do you have any relationship with the organisation/individual?

No

If yes, please provide further details:

Attachments
Upload any additional files to support your application which have not already been uploaded
within your application. For instance, Participant information sheet, Consent form,
Photographic/video consent form, Indicative questions sheet, Insurance cover, Security
sensitive research assessment, Health and Safety Risk Assessments, COSHH, Ionising
Radiation, Display screens etc.