Context: The total time spent in nursing care depends on the type of patient and the patient′s condition. We analysed factors that influenced the time spent in nursing a patient. Aims: To analyse the factors in a patient′s condition that influenced time spent in nursing a patient. Materials and Methods: This study was performed in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary referral centre, over a period of one month. The total time spent on a patient in nursing care for the first 24 hours of admission, was recorded. This time was divided into time for routine nursing care, time for interventions, time for monitoring and time for administering medications. Statistical analysis used: A backward stepwise linear regression analysis using the age, sex, diagnosis, type of admission and ventilatory status as variables, was done. Results: Patients admitted after elective surgery required less time (852.4 ± 234.1 minutes), than those admitted after either emergency surgery (1069.5 ± 187.3 minutes), or directly from the ward or the emergency room (1253.7 ± 42.1 minutes). Patients who were ventilated required more time (1111.5 ± 132.5 minutes), than those brought on a T-piece (732.2 ± 134.8 minutes or extubated (639.5 ± 155.6 minutes). The regression analysis showed that only the type of admission and the ventilatory status significantly affected the time. Conclusions: This study showed that the type of admission and ventilatory status significantly influenced the time spent in nursing care. This will help optimal utilization of nursing resources.