Using Qualitative Content Analysis and Natural Language Processing to Explore Nurse Decision-Making in Urgent Patient...

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Clinical Decision Making
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Acute care nurses frequently use clinical decision support tools and intuition in urgent patient care scenarios.
• Understanding the factors influencing these decisions is crucial for improving patient outcomes and nursing practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore factors influencing acute care nurses' decision-making during urgent, time-limited patient care situations.
• To identify key themes and elements that shape nurses' urgent care choices.

Main Methods:

• Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 nurses on two coronavirus units.
• Data analysis involved triangulation of qualitative content analysis and natural language processing, guided by the Practice Primed Decision Model.

Main Results:

• Three main themes emerged: the role of experience, increased patient care complexity and uncertainty, and the importance of healthcare team support.
• Natural language processing identified drives, cognitive processes, and social behaviors influencing decisions.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' understanding of patient status, emotional support needs, team collaboration, and reliance on experience are vital.
• Findings can inform the development of enhanced clinical decision support systems for acute care settings.