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Summary
Existing patient/nurse dependency tools are unsuitable for community nursing. A functional assessment scale, adapted with time allocation, shows potential for measuring community nurse dependency, requiring further study.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Management
- Community Health
Background:
- Existing patient/nurse dependency measures are primarily designed for acute hospital settings.
- These tools are often not fully appropriate for the unique demands of community nursing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify a suitable tool for measuring patient/nurse dependency in community nursing.
- To explore the adaptation of a functional assessment scale for community nursing dependency measurement.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a literature search to find relevant dependency measurement tools for community nursing.
- Identified a functional assessment scale for community-based patient assessment.
- Undertook a pilot study (1984/5) and a larger study (completed 1987) to test the scale's utility as a dependency measure with time allocation.
Main Results:
- Age and mobility were identified as key factors influencing district nursing time allocation.
- Other variables like home conditions and caregiver availability presented challenges for precise measurement.
- A functional assessment scale demonstrated potential as a community nursing dependency measure when combined with time data.
Conclusions:
- Standard acute care dependency tools are inadequate for community nursing contexts.
- A functional assessment scale, when adapted with time metrics, offers a promising approach to measuring community nurse dependency.
- Further research and validation are needed to refine this approach for community health services.