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An investigation into the description of patients' problems by nurses using two different needs-based nursing models
1School of Health Science, University of Wales, College of Swansea, Trinity College Campus, Carmarthenshire.
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|December 5, 1998
Summary
Nurses often describe patient issues using medical terms, not nursing models. This study found little impact of different nursing models on how nurses describe patient problems, highlighting a need for better integration of nursing diagnoses.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Healthcare Research
- Clinical Practice
Background:
- Nursing models aim to standardize patient problem description.
- The adoption of specific nursing models may influence nurses' language and focus.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how nurses describe patient problems.
- To examine the effect of different nursing models on these descriptions.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive study was conducted on two medical wards.
- Content analysis using Gordon's Functional Health Patterns was applied to collected data.
Main Results:
- Nurses predominantly used medical diagnoses or admission reasons to describe patient problems.
- Identified patient problems primarily focused on bio-physical needs, with limited attention to psycho-social aspects.
- Despite using different nursing models, problem description language and emphasis were similar, showing no clear application of model underpinnings.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests that current nursing practice in describing patient problems may not fully utilize or reflect the underlying principles of espoused nursing models.
- There is a need for British nurses to evaluate the value of systems like North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) nursing diagnoses.
- Implementation of new nursing language systems in the UK should involve practicing nurses to ensure relevance and influence.