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How nurses manage time and work in long-term care
B J Bowers1, C Lauring, N Jacobson
1School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. bjbowers@facstaff.wisc.edu
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|March 17, 2001
Summary
Nurses in long-term care (LTC) facilities face time pressures that compromise quality of care. Increasing staffing levels could improve patient care and reduce nurse-related workarounds.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Research
- Healthcare Quality
- Long-Term Care
Background:
- Investigates the impact of work conditions on nursing practice in long-term care (LTC).
- Addresses public policy discussions linking staffing levels to care quality in LTC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand how work conditions, including staffing, influence nurses' job performance and care quality in LTC facilities.
- Examines the lived experiences of nurses in LTC settings.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study using interviews and participant observation.
- Data collected from 18 licensed nurses in two Midwestern LTC facilities in 1995-1996.
Main Results:
- Time constraints and interruptions significantly impact nurses' daily work.
- Nurses developed coping strategies, such as task minimization and redefining responsibilities, to manage time pressures.
- These strategies, while enabling task completion, led to compromises in the 'should do' aspects of quality care, negatively affecting nurses and residents.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest that inadequate staffing contributes to time pressures.
- Increased staffing in LTC facilities is proposed as a means to enhance the quality of patient care.