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Nurses' reflections on problems associated with decision-making in critical care settings
1School of Behavioural Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia.
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|February 1, 1997
Summary
Critical care nurses face decision-making challenges due to knowledge gaps, time limits, and value conflicts. These issues impact patient care and require further investigation and education.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Management
- Clinical Decision-Making
Background:
- Critical care settings present complex decision-making scenarios for nurses.
- Understanding nurses' perceptions of these challenges is crucial for improving care quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the problems critical care nurses encounter in their decision-making processes.
- To identify factors contributing to difficulties in clinical decision-making for nurses in Australia.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted with 230 practicing critical care nurses in Australia.
- Structured questions addressed difficulties in decision-making, and open comments were collected.
Main Results:
- Nurses frequently experienced difficulties related to knowledge base, time constraints, and personal value conflicts.
- Nearly one-third of nurses disagreed with other staff on decision-making weekly.
- Key concerns included treatment decisions for poor prognosis patients and interprofessional disharmony.
Conclusions:
- Time constraints, knowledge demands from new technology, and interprofessional conflicts are significant issues for critical care nurses.
- There is a need for in-service education to support nurses' decision-making.
- Further research using in-depth interviews is recommended to explore these challenges comprehensively.