Mapping the nursing process: a new approach for understanding the work of nursing
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Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Patricia Potter1, Stuart Boxerman, Laurie Wolf
1Washington Hospital, St. Louis, MO 63141, USA. pap1212@bjc.org
Abstract:
The work of nursing is nonlinear and involves complex reasoning and clinical decision making. The use of human factors engineering (HFE) as a sole means for analyzing the work of nursing is problematic. Combining HFE analysis with qualitative observation has created a new methodology for mapping the nursing process. A cognitive pathway offers a new perspective for understanding the work of nursing and analyzing how disruptions to the nursing process may contribute to errors in the acute care environment.
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