Webcam technology on neonatal wards—examining the objective and subjective workload of nurses: a combined observational and survey study

TL;DR

This study found that using webcams on neonatal wards does not significantly increase nurses' workload, based on observations and surveys.

Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the actual and perceived workload impact of webcam use in neonatal care.

Findings

Webcam-related activities were detected in 14.74% of observation blocks.

82.16% of nurses reported no additional workload from webcam use.

No decrease in activity performance or interruptions was observed due to webcams.

Abstract

This study was conducted to estimate the additional objective and perceived workload of nurses resulting from the use of webcams. The successful implementation of webcam technology into routine care requires an analysis to prevent adverse events of increased nursing workload.

The study took place on three neonatal wards in two University Hospitals in Germany. In the first Hospital, the study was conducted from February to July 2021; in the second one it was conducted between June and November 2021. Data were collected using a combined approach of a standardised diary questionnaire study and passive observations. The participants were accompanied in their daily work and their activities were recorded 65 nurses participated.

2,031 h were observed in 1,630 observation blocks. In 14.74% of the observation blocks webcam activities were detected. The extent to which the nurses had webcam-related additional workloads was rated as no additional workload in 82.16% of the daily questionnaires (n = 1,026).

The observed low workload due to the webcams is in line with the nurses’ perception. The observational data revealed, on a number of different analysis levels, that a limited additional workload was generated. There was no decrease in activity performance observed and no clear indication for interruptions due to the webcam-related activities for the nurses. However, it is important to raise awareness about the individual workload levels for the successful implementation. Additional education programs can be provided for nurses.

The Neo-CamCare study is registered at the German Clinical Trials Register. DRKS-ID: DRKS00017755.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-024-02107-4.

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