ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess nurses’ perception on improving productivity for quality patient care in Muhammad Abdullahi Wase specialist hospital, Kano state. Data collection included interviews with 11 nurses who worked in a Specialist hospital in kano state. Data were sorted and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Three themes emerged: technology, work environment, and human factors. These themes aligned with components of the SEIPS model. An emphasis on how technology adds to the nurses’ workload compounded with a busy work environment was noted as a contributing factor to decreased productivity in the quality of care they offer to patients’.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Researchers have found that many factors contribute to medical errors and decreased productivity, which may lead to adverse patient events. The role of the professional nurse has evolved. Nurses have needed to navigate barriers that have impacted safe care practices, such as inadequate staffing ratios, poor communication, and long working hours (Kowalski & Anthony, 2017). Factors such as poor communication, lack of nursing advocacy, and lack of teamwork have been noted as areas that have compromised productivity in the system (Choi, Cheung, & Pang, 2014; Ulrich & Kear, 2014). Shekelle (2013) noted evidence suggesting a relationship between staffing ratios and mortality and that further research should be done to examine what nurses do in their role to safeguard patients. Mitchell (2008) highlighted how nurses’ role in monitoring and surveillance contribute to patient safety. Hughes and Clancy (2009) suggested that the role of the nurse in productivity in patient care has been narrowly studied and has focused on a few areas such as errors in medication administration and falls. The causes of medication errors from the perspective of the nurse have been linked to fatigue, lack of pharmacological knowledge, stressful work environments, and human factors (Cheragi, Manoocheri, Mohammadnejad & Ehsani, 2013). Results of these studies indicated that more work is needed to evaluate the impact of the nurse’s role in the quality of patient care.
Choi et al. (2014) explored how the role of advocacy on the part of the nurse has led to increased quality of care in hospitals. Other studies have suggested that when nurses are involved in making decisions and giving suggestions about productivity, their perception of patient safety is increased (Mwachofi et al., 2011). Garon (2012) found that nurses who can advocate for their patients are satisfied in their job and feel as though their work environment is healthy and safe. Implications from the current study include the importance of creating a culture of communication among care providers to ensure quality care for patients.
This study may shed new light on the perception of nurses on how to achieve increased productivity in the care of patient.
1.2 Problem Statement
Nurses provide direct bedside care to patients and are exposed to several potential errors during their shift that can affect the quality of care the patient receives (Choi et al., 2014). Circumstances such as the wrong medication being dispensed from the pharmacy or a physician writing for the wrong procedure on a patient are examples of errors that nurses detect to keep patients safe (Chassin, 2013). Numerous best practices have been implemented to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety, and nurses play a central role in implementing many of these best practices (Kai & Lipschultz, 2015; Ohashi, Dalleur, Dykes, & Bates, 2014).
Although researchers have described the role of the nurse and their perception of quality health care of patients, this information has been based on methods focused on strategies such as surveys. This study filled the gap in understanding from nurses’ perspective on how to improve productivity for quality patient care in Muhammed Abdullahi Wase specialist hospital, kano state.
1.3 Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the perception of nurses on the improvement of productivity for quality patient health care.
The study was guided by the following minor objectives:
- To determine the perceptions of nurses regarding their role in patient safety in a hospital setting
- To determine the factors contributing to patient harm despite the use of evidence based safety strategies in the hospital setting from the nurses’ perspective
- To assess preventable medical error events still occurring from the nurses’ perspective
1.4 Research questions
The research questions that were explored in this study were as follows:
- What are the perceptions of nurses regarding their role in patient safety in a hospital setting?
- What factors are contributing to patient harm despite the use of evidence- based safety strategies in the hospital setting from the nurses’ perspective?
- Why are preventable medical error events still occurring from the nurses’ perspective?
1.4 Scope and limitation
This study is aimed at assessing nurses perception on improving productivity for quality care in Muhammad Abdullahi Wase specialist hospital, kano state. In order to measure quality care, the study focused on the safety of customers during their stay in the hospital. The transferability of the study was limited because I used a single hospital site. Researcher bias may have also been a limitation. Measures that can be used to address the study’s limitations include acknowledging researcher biases and respondent validation (Maxwell, 2013).
1.5 Significance
This study made a contribution to patient care initiatives in the health care field because there had not been studies addressing nurses’ perceptions of why errors are still occurring despite the use of safety strategies. The findings advanced knowledge in the nursing discipline by revealing how nurses influence patient safety and why medical errors are still occurring from nurses’ perspective. The primary social change implication from this study was to improve the quality and safety of patient care by understanding the pivotal contributions that nurse’s play regarding patient safety. Advancing the understanding of nurses’ perception of their roles in preventing errors and why errors are still occurring may lead to a reduction in medical errors. The findings added to the advancement of the nursing discipline surrounding patient safety.
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