Table 1.

Classification of personal care workers’ activities

Category	Activities
Direct care	Physical Assessment.
	Routine hygiene (e.g. daily shower or wash).
	Continence related hygiene (e.g. shower or wash following pad change).
	Oral Care.
	Shave or grooming.
	Toileting - prompted by a resident.
	Toileting - prompted by a personal care worker.
	Pad check.
	Pad change.
	Scheduled toileting.
	Dressing a resident.
	Resident mobility; passive & active exercises; turning a resident in bed.
	Medication administration.
	Specimen collection; urine collection.
	Assisting a resident with eating and drinking (include feeding systems).
	Assisting a resident with food (e.g. cutting up food, uncovering food or delivery of food).
	Care of the deceased; laying out.
	Assisting a resident with hand washing following the use of toilet.
	Assisting a resident with transfer to and from a bed, a chair, etc.
	Transferring a resident to or from dining room or board room.
	Weighing a resident.
	Assisting a resident to receive a phone call.
	Attending to a resident call for assistance.
Indirect care	Equipment set up (e.g. sling set up, shower chair set up).
	Resident shower set up (e.g. preparing shampoo, towel or body lotion).
	Bed making routine.
	Changing a bed following an incontinent episode.
	Cleaning up spills following an incontinent episode.
	Re-stocking supplies to a trolley.
	Re-stocking supplies to a resident's cupboard.
	Transporting linen to and from laundry.
	Transporting clinical waste for disposal.
	Using or cleaning up bed pans.
	Emptying a resident's meal plate.
	Collecting pads from a storage cupboard.
	Collecting a resident's clothes from his or her cupboard; putting clothes back to the cupboard.
	Sorting and putting a resident's clothes to his or her room.
Infection control	Putting on personal protective equipment.
	Taking off personal protective equipment.
	Alcohol hand washing (related to toileting or pad change).
	Alcohol hand washing (unrelated to toileting or pad change).
	Water hand washing (related to toileting or pad change).
	Water hand washing (unrelated to toileting or pad change).
Documentation	Locating or collecting a resident's records.
	Taking a photo of a resident.
	Reviewing or writing resident's clinical information; reading notes; viewing results.
	Putting records back to filing area.
Transit	Standing or walking in the corridor between activities.
Staff break	Personal errands (off unit chores; meal break; making personal telephone call).
Oral communication	Asking for assistance from another personal care worker.
	Assisting another personal care worker to do his or her work.
	Participating in-service training.
	Communication of information about a resident (external).
	Communication of information about a resident (internal).
	Communicating with a resident.
	Communicating with a resident's family.
	Receiving a phone call; making a phone call.
Others	Other tasks not included.