Nursing practice with hospitalised older people: Safety and harm

Nursing teams work with hospitalised older people in institutions, which prioritise a biomedical model of care. This model does not fit the needs of older people because it emphasises efficacy and a narrow definition of patient safety, but does not prioritise functional needs. Nursing care is provided around the clock within the context of fiscal restraints as well as negative societal and nursing perspectives about ageing and old people. Yet, nursing perceptions of managing safety and potential harms to older patients within these hospital institutions are not well understood.

An integrative review was conducted to examine nursing perspectives of safety and harm related to hospitalised older people.

The majority of included papers focused on restraint use. Findings reveal that nurses are using restraints and limiting mobility as strategies to manage their key priority of keeping older patients safe, reflecting a narrow conceptualisation of safety. Policy, administrative support and individual nurse characteristics influence restraint use. Safety policies that nurses interpret as preventing falls can encourage the use of restraints and limiting mobility, both of which result in functional losses to older people.

This complex issue requires attention from clinical nurses, leaders, policy makers and researchers to shift the focus of care to preservation and restoration of function for older people in hospital as a safety priority.

Clinical leaders and nursing teams should engage in developing processes of care that incorporate maintaining and restoring older people's function.