A new survey of hospital nurses found that they estimate spending one quarter of their 12-hour shift on indirect patient care, with paperwork taking up much of the rest of their time.

In the survey, conducted by Alpharetta, Ga.-based Jackson Healthcare, nurses reported having to document patient care information in multiple locations, in addition to having to complete logs, checklists and other redundant paperwork that prevented them from having more time with their patients. Beyond these paperwork redundancies, nurses reported significant time being wasted trying to secure needed equipment and supplies.

When asked for solutions to these challenges, nurses recommended a combination of ancillary staff support, hospital-wide communications technology and reductions in redundant regulatory requirements.

The Web-based study, conducted in partnership with StatCom and Travel Nurse Solutions, targeted nurses, nursing managers and chief nursing officers across the country. It surveyed 2,439 nurses, and focused on the 1,663 who work in hospital settings.

Jackson Healthcare Chief Marketing Officer Bob Schlotman says the result as concerning.

"Nurses are being taken away from the patient's bedside by non-patient activities," he said. "Unfortunately, due to the regulatory nature of healthcare, we know that some of these redundancies won't go away. However, the good news is methodology, in the form of process improvements, and adaptive technology now exists to help minimize and manage these frustrations for our nurses."

The survey found several significant differences between frontline nurses and chief nursing officers (CNOs). CNOs were more concerned with the coordination of patient care, whereas nurses felt overworked and needing additional staff support.