Outcomes of professional misconduct by nurses: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Professional misconduct among nurses poses significant risks to safe, quality patient care.
• Understanding the experiences of nurses and managers regarding misconduct outcomes is crucial for improving healthcare.
• This study explores the multifaceted consequences of nursing professional misconduct.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the experiences of clinical nurses and nursing managers concerning the outcomes of professional misconduct.
• To identify and categorize the diverse impacts of nursing misconduct.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study employing conventional content analysis.
• Purposive sampling of 22 clinical nurses and nursing managers until data saturation.
• Data collection through semi-structured in-depth interviews analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman's approach.

Main Results:

• Four main themes emerged: physical, psychological, financial, and organizational outcomes.
• Physical outcomes included threats to patient safety; psychological outcomes involved patient/family distress and nurse moral distress.
• Financial impacts encompassed patient costs and nurse financial loss, while organizational outcomes included normalization of misconduct, chaos, resource waste, and reputational damage.

Conclusions:

• Nursing professional misconduct results in adverse physical, psychological, and financial consequences for patients, families, nurses, and healthcare organizations.
• Implementing effective management strategies is imperative to reduce the incidence of professional misconduct.
• Addressing misconduct is vital for maintaining patient safety and organizational integrity.