Estimation the Number of Nurses in the Poisoning Ward in the Selected Hospital in Shiraz Using linear Programming Technique (Simplex): A Case Study in Shiraz Public Hospital

Approximately, more than 60% of the hospital cost allocate to hospital human resources. The study aimed to examination the number of nurses in the poisoning ward in a general hospital in Shiraz. This applicable study was conducted as a descriptive-analytical study. Study population was the patients who referred to a hospital poisoning ward in Shiraz in 2012. The medical records were examined. Each month selected as a stratum and in each stratum samples selected through a simple random sampling. Data collected from the statistics office and patient records (physician's orders and nursing notes) using a data collection form. Linear programming techniques in lingo (version 8) software were used to the data analysis. Two nurses in morning, two in evening, three in night and seven in all shifts were at least required nurses in the poisoning ward of the general hospital. The number of available nurses in the ward was more than estimation. The nurses in the morning and evening shifts were over the examined number in the ward. Moreover, the nurses obtained from quantitative methods such as linear programming were lower than those calculated experimentally by nursing managers. It is recommended to Hospital administrators to use these techniques to the appropriate distribution of staff in wards.