| Learning Objective #1: Identify the perceptions of staff nurses regarding patient characteristics that make a patient complex. | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Identify the nurse characteristics that are important in the care of complex patients. |
The purpose of this study was to build on a concept analysis of complexity of nursing care from the research literature by refining the concept and extending it with empirical observations.
The ethnonursing method (Leininger, 1984) was used to obtain nurse-centered data identifying and describing concepts underlying the phenomena of complexity of nursing care across various types of nursing units in hospitals. The semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted at a US Midwest state nurses convention in October, 2005. A purposive sample of nurses was contacted from the convention registration list in advance of the annual state convention. They were given appointments for the interviews, completed he informed consents, and were provided with a gift card following the interviews. Thirteen key and two general informants who met the inclusion criteria were asked their perceptions of patient and nurse characteristics that contribute to complexity of nursing care. Additionally, each subject was asked to complete a 21 item Complexity of Nursing Care questionnaire which was previously reviewed by staff nurse experts for clarity and readability.
The qualitative data were analyzed using the Schatzman & Strauss (1973) field research strategies for analysis along with the Wilsonian (1969) typology of cases. The quantitative data analysis was limited to rank ordering of patient and nurse characteristics items due to the small sample. Descriptive statistics include item means, standard deviations, and ranges. Qualitative and quantitative results were compared and contrasted theoretically for definition and measurement purposes. Results include a definition and model case of a complex patient that captures similarities of attributes across six types of units in hospital settings. Contrary, related, and borderline cases of complex patients were also constructed. Nurse characteristics important to consider for assigning complex patients were also identified. Findings will be integrated in the final analytical phase of concept development.
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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)