Basic monitoring
Regular vital-sign monitoring, fluid balance and documented routine care.
9 pointsNEMS · NURSING WORKLOAD
Turn every nursing shift into a verifiable NEMS score.
NEMS summarises nine intervention categories to measure nursing resource use in intensive care. It is calculated for each new shift — every 8 or 12 hours depending on unit organisation — from events within that precise time window.
010203040506070809
NEMS9categories
CHECKED DATA
Score per shift
8 or 12 hours · traceable
CLINICAL LOGIC
One time window, nine categories, one score per shift.
01
Define the window
8- or 12-hour nursing shift
→
02
Search
The nine categories within this window
→
03
Check
Episode ID, time and source data
→
04
Calculate
An explainable NEMS score for this shift
FROM SHIFT TO SCORE
Nine categories searched within an exact time window.
For each nursing shift, ICU DATA EXPERT finds events meeting NEMS criteria and counts only those within the relevant time window.
ONE DAY
24 h
Two possible arrangements depending on the unit
8-HOUR SHIFT
00–08
08–16
16–24
3 separate scores
OR
12-HOUR SHIFT
00–12
12–24
2 separate scores
Mechanical ventilation
Mechanical ventilatory support meeting the reference criteria.
12 pointsOther ventilatory support
Additional respiratory care outside counted mechanical ventilation.
3 pointsIV medication
Intravenous administration meeting the category definition.
6 pointsSingle vasoactive drug
One vasoactive drug administered during the shift.
7 pointsMultiple vasoactive drugs
Several vasoactive drugs administered during the same shift.
12 pointsDialysis technique
Renal replacement therapy performed within the window.
6 pointsSpecific intervention in ICU
Specific diagnostic or therapeutic procedure performed in the unit.
5 pointsSpecific intervention outside ICU
Diagnostic or therapeutic procedure performed outside the unit.
6 points
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE · ONE SHIFT
Present categories are added once within their time window.
ECG
Monitoring
9
+
MV
Mechanical ventilation
12
+
+
IV medication
6
+
1
One vasoactive drug
7
+
ICU
ICU intervention
5
=
SHIFT NEMS
39
ON THE FLY
Instant result
When a SWISS DRG document is generated for a patient still admitted, the entire stay can be recalculated immediately.
EVERY 24 HOURS
Periodic recalculation
Shifts are reprocessed to include values added or changed since the previous calculation.
AFTER TRANSFER
Late corrections included
Processing continues until the patient leaves, then for ten days after transfer to capture retrospective changes.
THE ENGINE SEARCHES
Values from the correct shift window
For each of the nine counted categories, ICU DATA EXPERT finds values within the exact shift window and links them to the right Episode ID. Ventilation periods and validated corrections become usable facts within the relevant window.
THE DESIGNATED PROFESSIONAL CHECKS
A score that shows its evidence
Every retained category remains linked to its triggering events, time and source. Missing or inconsistent data appears as an exception to check — never as silent certainty.
Scientific reference
NEMS was derived from TISS-28 to provide a simplified therapeutic index of nursing workload at intensive care unit level.
Foundational studySee the calculation on your own data flows
Shift, Episode ID, categories, recalculations and evidence: the demonstration follows one case from end to end.
Review a NEMS case → All scoresNEMS: connect the score to episode data
Automating the NEMS score relies on the data available for the intensive care episode. A missing item, particularly a ventilation period, may require review and a documented correction. The recalculated score can then feed the unit’s documents and indicators.