Nursing documentation--beyond the question of structure

In this paper experiences from a project to improve nursing documentation in a medium size Scandinavian acute care hospital are presented. The project has followed an action research approach to ensure close cooperation in a coordinated fashion over a period of time. In the paper it is explained that structural changes are not enough to ensure higher quality in the nursing documentation. A broader perspective on clinical practice is therefore presented in order to reflect the complexity of clinical practice and varying documentation needs.