The Community Client Need Classification System - a dependency system for community nurses.

AIM: The aim of this paper was to discuss the predictive validity and reliability of the Community Client Need Classification System (CCNCS), the results of using this tool and public health nurses' satisfaction with the system.

BACKGROUND: Public health nurses provide the majority of community nursing services in Ireland. The traditional method of measuring workload in the community is based on recording the number of visits. The revised Easley-Storfjell instrument for Caseload/Workload Analysis was modified for the Irish context and permission from the authors was sought to use it in this study and was thus named the CCNCS.

METHODS: A convenience sample of 29 public health nurses used the CCNCS to classify 1352 clients for 2 weeks.

RESULTS: The elderly and child health groups accounted for the majority of the nurses' direct and indirect time. Predictive validity analysis demonstrated a positive relationship between needs level and nursing time. Nurses reported that the CCNCS was useful in predicting the needs of new and existing clients.

CONCLUSIONS: This classification system, albeit in the first draft of its revised form, was perceived by the chosen sample of public health nurses as useful in measuring their workload. Further research is required to ascertain the reliability of the modified classification system with a larger sample size.