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Nursing practice in nutritional care: a comparison between a residential aged care setting and a hospital setting
Author(s) -
Ullrich Sandra,
McCutcheon Helen,
Parker Barbara
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.12345
Subject(s) - nursing , malnutrition , medicine , autonomy , affect (linguistics) , participatory action research , participant observation , qualitative research , nursing care , action research , intervention (counseling) , psychology , social science , mathematics education , communication , pathology , sociology , political science , anthropology , law , economics , economic growth
Aim To explore the similarities and differences in the nursing practice in nutritional care between a residential aged care setting and a hospital setting. Background Despite being preventable and treatable, undernutrition remains a problem for many older people in residential aged care and hospital settings. Nurses have a crucial role in assisting people who are unable to eat independently and are uniquely positioned to implement solutions that will lead to better nutritional care. Design During 2007–2010, an action research study was conducted, underpinned by the principles of the participatory world view to address undernutrition in a residential aged care setting and a hospital setting. Methods The multimethod approach of data and between‐method triangulation were used to collect and analyse qualitative non‐participant observations and action research group data. Non‐participant observations and action research group data were qualitatively analysed using the Analytic Hierarchy. Findings How nurses chose to participate in the provision of nutritional care and assert their autonomy when changing practice to nutritional care affected the quality of the resident/patient mealtime experience. Operational efficiency influenced the choices that nurses made about the type of intervention to implement to improve nursing practice in nutritional care. Nurses required management approval to change practice in nutritional care. Conclusion The reasons for undernutrition are multifactorial and more research is needed to investigate the organizational structures and processes that affect the delivery of nutritional care across role functions, how these affect the continuity of care and the nurses' role in defining the culture around resident/patient mealtimes.