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

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Ward Operations

Background:

• Nurses often do not perform at their full scope of practice due to task prioritization.
• Optimal nursing scope is crucial for efficient and effective healthcare systems.
• Understanding nurse activities is key to improving healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the specific activities undertaken by registered nurses and nursing assistants.
• To analyze the time allocation for various nursing tasks on a visceral surgery ward.
• To identify areas where the nursing scope of practice may be suboptimal.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive observational time-motion study design.
• Data collection over 48 days, including day and night shifts.
• Observation of 24 registered nurses and 9 nursing assistants.

Main Results:

• Nearly 500 hours of nursing activities were logged.
• Nurses spent most of their time on care activities, communication, and care coordination, including documentation and non-care tasks.
• Under-engagement was noted in patient assessment, relational care, therapeutic teaching, and knowledge updating.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates that the scope of nursing practice on the observed visceral surgery ward was not optimal.
• Findings suggest opportunities to enhance the work environment for healthcare providers.
• Results can inform strategies for optimizing human resource utilization and increasing nursing work efficiency and visibility.