Development of an observational tool to measure nurses' information needs

Area of Science:

• Nursing Informatics
• Healthcare Information Management
• Patient Care Research

Background:

• Nurses utilize diverse sources like verbal, handwritten, and electronic methods for patient information.
• A gap exists in understanding the specific categories of nurses' information needs for hospitalized patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and categorize nurses' information needs during hospitalized patient care.
• To develop an observational tool for measuring these information needs and their sources.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts from nurses.
• Direct observational studies of nurses caring for hospitalized patients.
• Development of a quantitative observational tool to assess information needs.

Main Results:

• Identification of 17 distinct categories of nurses' information needs.
• The developed tool measures information need categories, collection, communication, and sources.
• Established a framework for observing and quantifying nurses' information needs.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully categorized nurses' information needs in hospitalized settings.
• The new observational tool enables quantitative measurement of information needs and sources.
• Future research can utilize this tool to enhance the gathering and communication of patient information.