Electronic nursing care reminders: implications for nursing leaders

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Technology
• Patient Care Quality

Background:

• Missed nursing care is a significant issue in acute care settings, potentially impacting patient outcomes.
• Nursing care reminders (NCRs) have been proposed as a strategy to mitigate missed care.
• Replication studies are crucial for validating findings in different contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate the findings on the relationship between nursing care reminder (NCR) usage and missed nursing care.
• To examine the influence of healthcare technology perception on missed nursing care.
• To provide evidence for the effectiveness of NCRs in reducing missed nursing care.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional correlational design was employed.
• Data were collected from 124 medical/surgical and ICU registered nurses (RNs) in a Midwestern teaching hospital.
• Validated surveys, including the MISSCARE Survey, were utilized, with adjusted hierarchical multiple regression for analysis.

Main Results:

• Higher frequency of NCR use was associated with lower reports of missed nursing care.
• Nurses perceiving a positive impact of healthcare technology on their practice reported less missed nursing care.
• Both NCR usage and positive technology perception were linked to decreased missed nursing care.

Conclusions:

• Nursing care reminders (NCRs) are an effective intervention for reducing missed nursing care in acute care hospital settings.
• The positive impact of healthcare technology perception also plays a role in minimizing missed nursing care.
• These findings support the implementation of NCRs as a strategy to improve nursing care delivery.