Related Experiment Videos
Enabling care: working through obscurity and uncertainty a basic social process used in selected acute care settings
1Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Summary
Nurses in acute care settings use "Enabling Care," a process for managing obscurity and uncertainty, rather than the formal nursing process. This finding offers insights into real-world nursing practice and theory development.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Science
- Qualitative Research
Background:
- The nursing process is a structured approach to patient care.
- Current theoretical models may not fully capture clinical realities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore nurses' patient care processes in acute care.
- To assess congruence with the established nursing process structure.
Main Methods:
- Grounded theory methodology.
- Semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and patient record audits.
- Constant comparative analysis of textual data.
Main Results:
- Nurses encountered factors hindering the use of the formal nursing process.
- A basic social process, 'Enabling Care,' was identified.
- This process involves navigating obscurity and uncertainty in patient care.
Conclusions:
- 'Enabling Care' represents a practical adaptation by nurses.
- Understanding this process can refine nursing theories.
- Clinical realities should inform future nursing practice models.