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Expert nursing assistant care activities
1College of Nursing, University of Tennessee, Memphis, USA.
Western Journal of Nursing Research
|October 17, 1998
Summary
Expert nursing assistants (NAs) provide essential functional and psychosocial care for nursing home residents. Identifying expert NA contributions can improve training and evaluation, while clarifying delegated tasks ensures resident safety.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Nursing
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Nursing assistants (NAs) are integral to nursing home care.
- Understanding the full scope of NA practice is crucial for quality resident care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and categorize the diverse care activities performed by expert nursing assistants.
- To explore activities performed by NAs that extend beyond their formal training.
Main Methods:
- In-depth interviews with expert nursing assistants.
- Naturalistic inquiry approach for data analysis.
Main Results:
- NAs provide a wide range of functional care, including activities of daily living.
- Seven categories of psychosocial care activities were identified, supporting resident emotional and mental health.
- NAs perform tasks delegated by licensed nurses, sometimes beyond their training scope.
Conclusions:
- Defining expert NA care can inform educational programs and assessment tools.
- Further research is needed on the safety and legality of delegated tasks performed by NAs.