In the first 6 hours the total time spent at the bedside was: for group A, nurses spent 178.8 minutes, MDs spent 72.3 minutes and respiratory therapists 87.2 minutes. For group B, nurses spent 197.6 minutes, MDs spent 98.8 minutes and therapists 12.5 minutes. These differences were not significant. In the first 48 hours the total time of nursing assistance for group A was 540.1 (+/- 76.4) minutes and for group B was 527.5 (+/- 51.1) minutes, (not significant). The total medical doctors' workload for this time was 415 (+/- 110) minutes for group A and 524 (+/- 156) minutes for group B, (not significant). The total time spent by respiratory therapists was 250.8 (+/- 66.5) minutes for group A and 72.7 (+/- 38.5) minutes for group B, (significance not stated). The amount of time spent on both groups by nurses differed significantly between the first 6 and the following 42 hours, (p<0.001). After 40% of the total ventilation-time, time spent by nurses on group A was significantly less (p<0.05) and after 60% of total ventilation-time, time spent by MDs on group A patients was very significantly less, (p<0.01). Total daily costs of the first 48 hours for group A were $806.17 (+/-73.60) and for group B were $864.53 (+/- 51.36). The difference was not significant.
The breakdown of costs was expressed in percentages:
Personnel (group A = 36%, group B = 36%);
Radiograph (group A = 8.5%, group B = 6.5%);
Drugs (group A = 8.5%, group B = 9%);
Supplies (group A = 8%, group B = 10%);
Laboratory (group A = 7%, group B = 9%);
Indirect costs(group A = 21%, group B = 21%);
Others (group A = 11%, group B = 8.5%).