Patients' views of nurses' competence

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Quality
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Limited empirical research exists on professional competence from the patient's perspective.
• UK nursing curricula increasingly focus on 'competencies' as educational outcomes.
• Patient involvement is a growing trend in healthcare, necessitating their views on nurse competence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patients' definitions of competent nursing.
• To understand how patients perceive assessing nurse competence.
• To investigate patient perspectives on nursing quality indicators.

Main Methods:

• Grounded theory approach utilized for in-depth exploration.
• Data collected in Central Scotland from 2001-2003.
• Constant comparative method applied for data analysis with 27 patient participants.

Main Results:

• Patients identify technical care and nursing knowledge as foundational to competent nursing.
• Interpersonal attributes are considered the primary quality indicator once technical competence is assumed.
• Patients expressed uncertainty regarding their ability to assess nursing competence.

Conclusions:

• Patient perspectives reveal a dual focus on technical and interpersonal nursing skills.
• The findings highlight challenges in involving patients in nurse competence assessment.
• Implications exist for international nursing education and practice regarding patient engagement in evaluation.