Hospital Nurses' Work Activity in a Technology-Rich Environment: A Triangulated Quality Improvement Assessment.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Technology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Understanding nurses' daily activities is crucial for optimizing healthcare delivery.
• Electronic health records (EHR) significantly impact nursing workflows and time allocation.
• Assessing patient satisfaction with nursing care is essential for quality improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe hospital nurses' work activities using direct observation, self-reported time, and EHR data.
• To examine nurses' attitudes toward technology adoption.
• To evaluate patient perceptions and satisfaction regarding time spent with nurses.

Main Methods:

• Direct observational studies of nursing activities.
• Surveys assessing nurses' perceptions of time allocation and technology attitudes.
• Analysis of electronic health record (EHR) timestamps.
• Patient satisfaction surveys regarding nursing bedside time.

Main Results:

• Documenting and reviewing the EHR were the most frequently observed nursing activities.
• Significant discrepancies were found between nurses' perceived time spent on tasks and observed times.
• The majority of patients reported excellent or good satisfaction with the time nurses spent at their bedside.

Conclusions:

• Observed nursing activities, particularly EHR use, differ from nurses' perceptions of time allocation.
• Despite time allocation differences, patient satisfaction with nursing bedside time remains high.
• Findings highlight the need to align EHR efficiency with nursing time perception and patient care quality.