Most common nursing care problems: a national survey

Renate Kieft, PhD student Tilburg University and advisor Dutch Nurses’ Association

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Problem definition

Nursing benefits regarding quality of care (health status, functioning or well-being) is not clear

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Aim

• Identify the most frequently occurring patient problems within nursing practice

• Gain insight into the level of influence in preventing or minimising these patient problems

Influence means the way nursing care affect health status, functioning or well-being

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Method• An online questionnaire

among nurses (N = 838)• Questionnaire based on the

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)

• Domains: seventeen categories

• Each category operationalises patient problems (total of 84)

• Dutch version of the ICF• Face validity and content

validity

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Categories with patient problems

Patient problems

• The frequencies per problem were computed• Sorted in descending order (from greatest to least frequency)• Cut-off point: median • 2 quadrants: frequently and less frequently occurring patient

problems

Dutch Nurses’ Association

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

The influence of nurses

• Mean experienced influence was calculated• Sorted in descending order (from greatest to least mean experienced

influence)• Cut-off point: median • Overview of high level and low level of experienced influence

Patient problems and the influence of nurses

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Result

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Demographics n = 440Gender, male/female 63 (14%) / 377 (86%)Age, mean (range) 49 (24-64)Education level   Nurses with an associate degree 156 (35%)

Nurses with a bachelor degree 233 (53%)

Nurses with a master degree 10 (2%)

Unknown 41 (9%)

Health care organisation   Hospital care 155 (35%)

Psychiatric health care 73 (17%)

General medical practice 72 (16%)

Primary care 65 (15%)

Mentally disabled health care 48 (11%)

Nursing home care 27 (6%)

Work experience in years, mean (range) 24 (1-46)Working hours per week, mean (range) 28 (5-40)

3 mei 2023 Dutch Nurses’ Association

Categories with patient problems

Patient problems and level of influence

Conclusion

With this knowledge:• Create more coherence between nursing care and

guidelines• A national standardised set of patient problems (for

research and accountability goals)

Dutch Nurses’ Association