Evaluation of an evidence-based nursing tool for acute hospitals

Routine documentation of nursing care is an important part of everyday nursing practice. Evaluation of a new evidenced-based nursing assessment tool--the Gloucester patient profile--was carried out in six ward areas in an acute hospital setting. Non-participant observation and nominal group evaluations showed that the new assessment tool took longer to complete than the traditional record, but reduced the amount of paperwork. And more importantly, significantly more nurses completed the nursing record at patients' bedsides, and involved patients and their relatives in the process.