The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-07-29
STUDY WELFARE WORK
Application of Business Princi-
pies Brings Increased Returns.
United States Department Of Labor
Gives Results of Wide lnvestiga-
tion-Nurses Have More Time
for Field Work.

Washington. - The application OF
modern business principles to welfare
agencies, and the increased returns on
the funds contributed effected thereby,
are described in a report just made
public by the United States DEPART
ment of Labor through the children's
bureau. This report, entitled "Office
Administration for Organizations Su-
pervising the Health of Mothers, In
fants and Children of Pre-School Age"
is the outgrowth of requests for adj
vice which came to the children's bu-
reau from organizations in various
cities. It embodies the experience Of
members of the staff whose services
were loaned for studies and consulta-
lions, and the results of a study of
methods used by 200 nursing agencies
in both large and small communities.
Although the report Is directed espe-
cially toward the needs of agencies SUI
pervising the health of mothers and
young children, certain fundamental
principles set forth are applicable to the
conduct Of any office in the social
field.
The immediate results of the reor-
ganization of the first agency studied,
which affected both the nursing staff
and the office force, were: (1) a
marked increase in the nurses time
available for field work, due to elimi-
nation Of duplicate clerical work on
their part, and to increased office clcr-
ical assistance. (2) An increase of Of
flee output, due to redistribution of
duties and orderly rerouting of clerical
work. (3) Increased accuracy in
handling records and office detail. az
Elimination of lost motion, with its
waste of time, energy and space, ac-
complished by standardizing routing
duties and rearranging the Office equip
ment. In addition to these immediate
results the new system laid the foun-
dalton for orderly development and
future economical administration Of
the associations affairs.
ut Is indisputable," the report
states, that in the long run modern
office management enables a society
to do more work and better work than
was possible at the same cost in old
ways If high standards of nursing
service are to be maintained, strict re-
quirements regarding the education,
training, experience and character Of
the nurse must be compensated by adj
equate professional salaries. The
skilled nursing staff, moreover, must
be supported by a skilled office force,
i~ntelligently and adequately equipped
and directed.
The report is not intended for the
larger organizations alone. 1t Is not
unreasonable ia suppose, 1t states, that
the waste occurring in the small public
health nursing organizations through
out the nation bulks greater than the
total waste of the large organizations.
The office may be the desk of the m
nurse who is executive and staff at
one and the same time, but the appli-
cation of the fundamental principles Of
management are nevertheless necessary
to efficient service.
The report Is written with full
knowledge of the financial limitations
AAN hAhPS Ahdhs otA oS6Ahi6 SOtiC-
ties. 1.-THE nonpaying business concern
goes out Of existence while the public
health nursing organization usually
struggles IN through many lean years,
doing countless things plainly undesir-
able from the mere inability to meet
expenses" 1t Is of course on account
of the limited revenues that scientific
management Is the more necessary to
accomplish the best results with the
means at hand.
Among the subjects with which the
report deals are: The principles and
methods of staff organization, selec-
lion and training Of employees, office
location and arrangement, selection Of
office furniture, equipment and sup
plies, planning case record systems,
filing, financial administration, and
publicity methods. 1t includes a bibli-
ography and an appendix giving details
of four record systems in use by diff
ferent types of nursing organizations.