Missed nursing care in emergency departments: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Patient safety is a global health priority. Errors of omission, such as missed nursing care in hospitals, are frequent and may lead to adverse events. Emergency departments (ED) are especially vulnerable to patient safety errors, and the significance missed nursing care has in this context is not as well known as in other contexts.

AIM

The aim of this scoping review was to summarize and disseminate research about missed nursing care in the context of EDs.

METHOD

A scoping review following the framework suggested by Arksey and O'Malley was used to (1) identify the research question; (2) identify relevant studies; (3) select studies; (4) chart the data; (5) collate, summarize, and report the results; and (6) consultation.

RESULTS

In total, 20 themes were derived from the 55 included studies. Missed or delayed assessments or other fundamental care were examples of missed nursing care characteristics. EDs not staffed or dimensioned in relation to the patient load were identified as a cause of missed nursing care in most included studies. Clinical deteriorations and medication errors were described in the included studies in relation to patient safety and quality of care deficiencies. Registered nurses also expressed that missed nursing care was undignified and unsafe.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this scoping review indicate that patients' fundamental needs are not met in the ED, mainly because of the patient load and how the ED is designed. According to registered nurses, missed nursing care is perceived as undignified and unsafe.

Registered nurses' challenges and suggestions for improvement of their leadership close to older adults in municipal home healthcare

BACKGROUND

Worldwide people are living longer. The need for healthcare for older adults is increasing. The trend is towards advanced home healthcare, where registered nurses are key figures. This implies challenges for municipal home healthcare, as well as for registered nurses' leadership. The aim is to explore registered nurses' perceptions of challenges and suggestions for improvements in their leadership close to older adults in municipal home healthcare.

METHODS

The present study is part of a larger web-based questionnaire survey with a cross-sectional design. The design is inductive, analysing data using qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. A questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions was used. A total of n = 70 registered nurses leading close to older adults participated in seven municipalities in two geographic areas in Sweden.

RESULTS

The results show registered nurses' perceptions of challenges as leaders close to older adults in terms of 11 categories. The categories are motivating for care, adjusting and coordinating nursing care to the older adult, relating to next of kin, managing communication difficulties, relating to social situations in the home, managing demands, working alone, having lack of time, collaborating with physicians, and care staff having low competence. The registered nurses suggested improvements for their leadership close to older adults in terms of nine categories. The categories are adjusting the work to the older adult, clarifying registered nurses' responsibility, balancing demands and resources, setting time aside, improving staffs' competence, ensuring staff's competence development, improving the work environment, and cooperation between professions in the municipality, as well as between healthcare organizations.

CONCLUSION

The results show that registered nurses' leadership in municipal home healthcare implies a wide range of challenges. There is a need for strategies to improve the organizational preconditions to reduce challenges in registered nurses' leadership in order to promote positive patient outcomes for safe and quality care.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AMONG NEWLY GRADUATED REGISTERED NURSES WORKING IN ACUTE CARE HOSPITAL SETTINGS ‐ A QUALITATIVE EXPLORATIVE STUDY

AIM

To explore newly graduated registered nurses' perceptions of their work situation and management of nursing care in complex patient situations after 18 months of work experience.

BACKGROUND

Newly graduated registered nurses working in acute care hospital settings play a critical role in providing safe nursing care.

METHODS

An explorative qualitative design, with four focus group interviews with 14 newly graduated registered nurses working in acute care hospital settings.

RESULTS

One theme emerged: 'Clarity and security in one's own nursing role despite facing challenges that hinder professional development' and three categories: 'Independency due to one's own efforts and experience', 'Well-functioning teamwork' and 'Challenges in the work situation'.

CONCLUSION

After 18 months in the profession, the nurses were considered to be advanced beginners; at the same time, the most experienced nurses on their respective wards. They found it challenging and need to further develop competences concerning managing and organizing the nursing care of several complex patient situations or new patient groups, as well as supervising novice registered nurses and nursing students.

IMPLICATION FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Powerful and urgent action is needed to be taken by national healthcare policymakers as well a hospital and nurse managers to develop long-term strategies to improve working conditions for newly registered graduated nurses.

Altered prerequisites: A cross-sectional survey regarding cancer care in Sweden during COVID-19 from the viewpoint of contact nurses in cancer care

Contact nurses in cancer care were vital in sustaining cancer care in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate their experiences of providing care to people with cancer in these exceptional circumstances to identify emerging challenges and opportunities that must be addressed moving forward. A survey distributed to contact nurses was supplemented with questions regarding the pandemic. The study design was a cross-sectional survey, analyzed with descriptive statistics and content analysis, reported in accordance with STROBE. Almost half of respondents ( n = 337) reported not being able to provide the same support as before the pandemic. Analysis of open-ended question responses ( n = 232) revealed a main theme: Altered prerequisites for providing care. Three categories related to altered interaction, accessibility, and nursing reality were revealed. Thorough reflection is needed to make use of lessons learned and avoid sustaining the short-term solutions needed to cope with the acute phase of the pandemic.

Sexual Health Promotion among Swedish Adolescents - Professionals' Experiences

In this grounded theory study the aim was to explore professionals' experiences of promotion of adolescents' sexual health, and views on inter-professional collaboration in relation to this subject. Data collection was by five focus group interviews and two pair interviews with professionals working with sexual health promotion in health care and schools. The results showed that professionals were reaching out to young people through competence and trusting relationships along with working on a broader front. In conclusion, professionals need to be knowledgeable about the world of young people, accessible and able to offer adequate support, and improve their inter-professional collaborations.

Insufficiently supported in handling responsibility and demands: Findings from a qualitative study of newly graduated nurses

Aims and objectives

To explore newly graduated registered nurses' experiences and how they manage complex patient situations.

Background

Newly graduated registered nurses' working in acute care hospital settings are challenged by managing complex patient situations in rapidly changing clinical contexts involving increased patient acuity, comorbidities and staffing shortages.

Design

Qualitative study design.

Methods

Data were collected using focus groups interviews of a total of 16 newly graduated registered nurses with clinical work experience of 6 months of direct patient care in an acute care hospital setting. Analyses were conducted using qualitative content analysis. COREQ reporting guidelines were used.

Results

The analysis resulted in the overarching theme “Not being sufficiently prepared and supported to meet responsibilities and demands.” The theme included three categories: “Responsibility is not in proportion to competence,” “Lack of medical competence and experience complicates patient safety” and “Strives for control to manage and organise nursing care.”

Conclusion

The results show that newly graduated registered nurses' are not sufficiently supported for the level of responsibility and the demands placed on them when providing nursing in complex patient situations in acute care hospital settings. If they are given sole responsibility for multiple complex patient situations, patient safety may be compromised.

Relevance to practice

Special attention need to be paid to NGRNs support to medical competence in the areas of assessing, planning, prioritizing, leading, and distributing nursing care in daily clinical settings for at least their first year of professional work.

Newly graduated registered nurses' self-assessed clinical competence and their need for further training

Aim

To explore and describe changes in self-assessed clinical competence and the need for further training among newly graduated Registered Nurses during their first 15 months of professional work in acute care hospital settings.

Design

Quantitative longitudinal design.

Methods

The 50-item Professional Nurse Self-Assessment Scale of clinical core competencies II was used. A total of 45 newly graduated Registered Nurses answered the questionnaire at four different occasions. Data were collected after 2, 5, 9 and 15 months of working experience.

Result

The components "ethical decision-making," "cooperation and consultation" and "clinical leadership" were rated highest in clinical competence and lowest in need for further training. The components "professional development" and "critical thinking" were rated lowest in clinical competence and "direct clinical practice" rated highest in need for further training. The clinical competence increased significant between 9-15 months, with the exception of "critical thinking" and need for further training decreased significantly between 9-15 months, with the exception of "critical thinking."

Newly graduated nurses' clinical competencies and need for further training in acute care hospitals

AIM

To assess self-reported clinical competence and the need for further training among newly graduated registered nurses (NGRNs) working in Swedish acute care hospital settings.

BACKGROUND

NGRNs are expected to take full responsibility for patients' nursing care in an increasingly complex clinical context, and professional nurses' clinical competence is critical in providing high-quality and safe nursing care.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design.

METHODS

Data were collected using the 50-item ProffNurse SAS II. A total of 85 NGRNs who had recently commenced working with direct patient care at three hospitals in central Sweden participated in the study. The response rate was 69%. The STROBE cross-sectional reporting guidelines were used.

RESULTS

The NGRNs assessed their clinical competence as being highest in areas relating to team collaboration and ethics and lowest in areas relating to professional development and direct clinical practice. The need for further training was greatest in areas such as direct clinical practice and patient safety and lowest in areas such as team collaborating and ethics.

CONCLUSION

The use of instruments to identify NGRNs' self-assessed clinical competence is of value when designing and evaluating introductory programmes for NGRNs taking on positions in acute care hospital settings. The availability of experienced nurses from whom NGRNs can gain clinical competence and learn from is of importance, both from the perspective of the NGRNs themselves and patient safety.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

An understanding of NGRNs' clinical competence and their need for further training may assist in both planning and organising nursing programmes and in making clinical policy decisions when designing introduction programmes in acute care settings.

Patients’ experiences of home enteral tube feeding (HETF) – a qualitative study

Use of home enteral tube feeding (HETF) has increased in Western countries but research is scarce, especially about patients’ experiences of daily life when being treated with HETF. This study aimed to explore what it means to live with HETF and how the situation can be managed. A qualitative method was carried out according to Grounded Theory. In total, 22 interviews were performed with 11 patients treated with HETF for between 8 weeks and 2 years, using open-ended questions. Sampling, data collection and data analysis were carried out simultaneously. To be treated with HETF was experienced as positive as it meant survival, but the most prominent finding told about experiences of restrictions, practical problems and distress in the patients’ daily lives. How daily life turned out seemed to depend on the patient’s ability to manage problems, but was also strongly related to the amount and quality of information and support they received from health professionals. Lacking preparation before discharge as well as lacking support at home meant insecurity and uncertainty. The findings stress the need for comprehensive preparation and support from health professionals, and improvements are needed to facilitate HETF patients’ daily life.

Struggling in an inescapable life situation: being a close relative of a person dependent on home enteral tube feeding

AIM

To explore what it means to be a close relative of a person dependent on home enteral tube feeding (HETF) and how they can manage this situation.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that the situation of close relatives in home care in general can be burdensome and difficult. Research is scarce about experiences of close relatives when patients are treated with HETF.

DESIGN

A qualitative design was used, in accordance with grounded theory (GT).

METHODS

Twelve close relatives were interviewed twice, using open-ended questions. Five were relatives of patients supported by home care services or advanced home care teams. Using the GT method, sampling, data collection and data analysis were carried out simultaneously.

RESULTS

One core category, 'Struggling in an inescapable life situation' and eight categories were found. The situation led to involuntary changes in the lives of the close relatives, something they could do little about. Their lives had become completely upturned and restricted by the HETF. Togetherness and pleasure was lost and they felt lonely. The relatives faced a new role of being informal caregivers and they had to adjust their daily life accordingly. They felt forced to take on a heavy responsibility for which they lacked support. The close relatives struggled to manage and to make the best of their new situation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted the demands and vulnerability which is embedded in the role of being a close relative of a patient with HETF. It also pointed out their need for comprehensive support from the health care system.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Support to facilitate the situation of close relatives should be given from the health care. One way to organise the care could be through a nurse-led clinic, which provides continuous support, information and counseling.