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Nursing teams caring for hospitalised older adults
Author(s) -
Dahlke Sherry,
Baumbusch Jennifer
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.12961
Subject(s) - nursing , thematic analysis , team nursing , health care , primary nursing , nurse education , teamwork , acute care , medicine , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , nursing care , nursing shortage , psychology , qualitative research , social psychology , social science , sociology , political science , economics , law , economic growth
Aims and objectives To offer an explanation of how registered nurses’ are providing care to hospitalised older adults in nursing teams comprised of a variety of roles and educational levels. Background Around the globe economic pressures, nursing shortages and increased patient acuity have resulted in tasks being shifted to healthcare workers with less education and fewer qualifications than registered nurses. In acute care hospitals, this often means reducing the number of registered nurses and adding licensed practical nurses and care aides (also referred to as unregulated healthcare workers) to the nursing care team. The implications of these changes are not well understood especially in the context of hospitalised older adults, who are complex and the most common care recipients. Design Thematic analysis of data that were collected in a previous grounded theory study to provide an opportunity in‐depth analysis of how nurses provided care to hospitalised older adults within nursing teams. Methods Data collected in western Canada on two hospital units in two different health authorities were analysed in relation to how nursing teams provide care. Hand coding and thematic analysis were employed. Results The themes of scrutinised skill mix and working together highlighted how the established nursing value of reciprocity is challenging to enact in teams with a variety of scopes of practice. The value of reciprocity both aided and hindered the nursing team in engaging in team behaviours to effectively manage patient care. Conclusion Educators and leaders could assist the nursing care team in re‐thinking how they engage in teamwork by providing education about roles and communication techniques to support teams and ultimately improve nursing care. Relevance to clinical practice The value of reciprocity within nursing teams needs to be re‐examined within the context of team members with varying abilities to reciprocate in kind.