Scope of nursing practice on a surgery ward: A time-motion study

To log the activities of registered nurses and nursing assistants on a visceral surgery ward.

By prioritizing their activities, nurses fail to exercise their full scope of practice even though this is essential for health care systems to function effectively and efficiently.

A descriptive observational time-motion study was conducted over a period of 48 days. The activities of nurses (n = 24) and nursing assistants (n = 9) were logged over the course of their entire work shifts, both in the day and at night.

In all, 499 hr of observation were logged. Tasks that fell under the dimensions of care activities and of communication and care coordination, which cover documentation, non-care activities and delegated medical tasks, were the ones that took up most of the nurse work time. Patient assessment, relational care, therapeutic teaching/coaching, and knowledge updating and utilization were categories that nurses were under-engaged in.

The study shows that the scope of nursing practice was not optimal.

The results can serve to improve the work environment of carers, optimize the use of human resources and increase the visibility and efficiency of nursing work.