Measuring fundamental care using complexity science: A descriptive case study of a methodological innovation

Area of Science:

• Care Science
• Complexity Science
• Graph Theory

Background:

• Fundamental care, essential for survival, health, and welfare, is complex and multidimensional.
• The Fundamentals of Care Framework outlines 3 dimensions and 38 elements of fundamental care.
• Care provision is viewed as a complex adaptive system, challenging linear models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an innovative methodology for recording and evaluating fundamental care.
• To quantify relationships between elements of fundamental care using a novel Matrix.
• To improve care outcomes by capturing diverse perspectives on fundamental care.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Matrix methodology informed by graph theory and complexity science.
• Utilized the Fundamentals of Care Framework to structure the Matrix.
• Processed care recipient narratives to generate heat maps, summary tables, and network analyses.

Main Results:

• Quantified fundamental care in a multidimensional manner.
• Generated three distinct outputs: heat map, summary table, and network analysis.
• Captured multiple perspectives including care recipients, families, direct care providers, and managers.

Conclusions:

• The Matrix methodology provides a tool to evaluate fundamental care multidimensionally.
• The outputs can enhance care outcomes by integrating various stakeholder viewpoints.
• Future work aims to digitalize and operationalize the Matrix for real-time evaluation and prediction.