NURSES’ PERCEPTIONS OF PATIENTS’ REQUIREMENTS FOR NURSING RESOURCES

Abstract

The study used semi-structured interviews in an interpretive research design to explore nurses’ perceptions of patients requiring disproportionate amounts of nursing resources, and factors influencing those perceptions. A total of 50 senior nurses from a variety of medical and surgical settings, including a high dependency unit, were interviewed and the data analysed to determine common themes and differences between participants.

The four major themes of patient characteristics, family needs, staffing and organisational context defined the factors nurses perceived as influencing their perceptions of patients’ dependency. Patient requirements for nursing resources were seen as a continuum rather than a specific point, and were balanced on the combined influences of the four themes. At times, demands imposed on nursing resources lead to nurses’ perceptions of delivering less than ideal care, stress and frustration. The latter applied particularly to factors that were outside of the control of nurses such as staffing levels and skill mix.