Complexity compression

Have you ever heard of this term? I first encountered it while reading Maintaining a Positive Image of Nursing in a Complex Health Care Environment. This article caught my attention because although I had never heard the term, I used to be actually accustomed to it. By definition, complexity compression is “what nurses experience when they are expected to take on additional, unscheduled responsibilities while simultaneously performing multiple responsibilities in a compressed time frame.” Sounds familiar? We’ve all experienced it – having to perform tasks that take us away from direct patient care and do more in less time.

It didn’t take long to seek out the source of this terminology. In 2007, nurse representatives from the Minnesota Nurses Association and school from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing sought to validate nurses’ on a regular basis experiences of complex patients and complicated systems, each with increasing demands. Using focus groups, researchers identified six primary themes that contribute to complexity compression: personal aspects, environmental aspects, practice aspects, systems and technology aspects, administrative and management aspects, and autonomy/control aspects. You can read the complete published study here: Compressing complexity: nurses under fire.

What is the most important contributor to compressed complexity throughout the workday?

References: Krichbaum, K., Diemert, C., Jacox, L., Jones, A., Koenig, P., Mueller, C., & Disch, J. (2007). Compressing complexity: Nurses under fire. Nursing forum.