Electronic nursing documentation in primary health care

The aim of this study was to describe and analyse nursing documentation based on an electronic patient record (EPR) system in primary health care (PHC) with emphasis on the nurses' opinions and what, according to the nursing process and the use of the keywords, the nurses documented. The study was performed in one county council in the south of Sweden and included 42 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCC). It consisted of a survey, an audit of nursing records with the Cat-ch-Ing instrument and calculation of frequencies of keywords used during a 1-year period. For the survey, district nurses received a postal questionnaire. The results from the survey indicated an overall positive tendency concerning the district nurses' opinions on documentation. Lack of in-service training in nursing documentation was noted and requested from the district nurses. All three parts of the study showed that the keywords nursing interventions and status were frequently used while nursing diagnosis and goal were infrequent. From the audit, it was noted that medical status and interventions appeared more often than nursing status. The study demonstrated limitations in the nursing documentation that inhibited the possibility of using it to evaluate the care given. In order to develop the nursing documentation, there is a need for support and education to strengthen the district nurses' professional identity. Involvement from the heads of the PHCC and the manufactures of the EPR system is necessary, in cooperation with the district nurses, to render the nursing documentation suitable for future use in the evaluation and development of care.     

Patient records in nursing homes. Effects of training on content and comprehensiveness

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects on the contents and comprehensiveness of the nursing-care documentation in the patient records at nursing homes following an educational intervention. A review was made of records (n = 120) from nursing homes in six Swedish municipalities, allocated to a study group and a reference group. All the nursing home nurses in three municipalities received education concerning the nursing process and how to document according to the VIPS model. A retrospective audit of all nursing notes in the records from the nursing homes was made before and after the intervention. Improvements were found in the contents of the records in the study group. The number of notes on nursing history more than doubled. The occurrence of the recording of nursing diagnoses, goals and discharge notes increased. No corresponding changes were observed in the reference group. In the study group, an increase in the number of acceptable notes with contents on nursing history, status, nursing diagnosis, planned and implemented interventions, and nursing discharge notes was found. This increase was significant. The comprehensiveness in the documentation of single nursing problems was only slightly improved in the study group. No record met the requirements of the national regulations on nursing documentation or followed the nursing process thoroughly.     

Developing a module for nursing documentation integrated in the electronic patient record

Norway's regional teaching hospitals are working together on a project to develop an interdisciplinary electronic patient record (EPR). This paper presents the results of a project to develop nursing documentation as part of an integrated EPR to improve the quality and continuity of patient care. The project used a consensus process as a working norm. The most important result is that the five hospitals have agreed on a framework for nursing documentation, and on the main components that need to be implemented in the electronic patient record.     

Structure and content in Norwegian nursing care documentation.

In 1994, the Norwegian Board of Health (NBH) published recommendations for nursing care documentation. The two-fold purpose of the present study was to see if 5 wards in 2 Norwegian hospitals fulfilled the proposed NBH recommendations and guidelines regarding documentation, and to evaluate them in terms of the proposed structure and key words of the VIPS model. Results showed that all nursing records (n = 55) had an admission assessment. A nursing care plan was present in 62% of the records. Nursing goals were lacking in the remaining 38%, diagnosis and planned interventions were absent in 18%, and 45% of the diagnoses lacked information concerning patient progress or outcome. The nursing care plans were updated in only 40% of the records and discharge notes were present in 35%, confirming that NBH recommendations were not met in this sample. The key words of the VIPS model covered all information present in the records, and high interrater reliability was obtained for the majority of key words categorized by two independent researchers. It is suggested that the VIPS model components and key words can contribute to a reliable and uniform model for nursing care documentation and enhance comprehensive and systematic documentation, which is presently lacking in Norwegian records.     

Impact of primary care management on nursing documentation

AIM: The aim was to investigate whether perceptions of electronic nursing documentation and its performance differed because of primary health care management. BACKGROUND: Success in leading people depends on the manager's personality, the context and the people who are led. Close proximity to clinical work, with manager and personnel sharing the same profession, promotes the authority to carry out changes. METHODS: This study comprised a postal questionnaire to district nurses and an audit of nursing records from two primary health care organizations, one with a uniprofessional (nursing) organization, and one with multidisciplinary health care centres with general practitioners and/or another profession as managers. RESULTS: Uniprofessional nurse management increased district nurses' positive perceptions of nursing documentation but did not affect documentation performance, which was inadequate regardless of management type. CONCLUSIONS: Positive perceptions of nursing documentation are bases for further development to a nursing documentation including a holistic view of the patient.     

Long-term increase in quality of nursing documentation: effects of a comprehensive intervention

This study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal effects of a nursing-documentation intervention on the quantity and quality of the nursing documentation in a sample of patient records at a university hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. In this quasi-experimental longitudinal study, two hospital wards participated in a 2-year intervention and a third ward was used for comparison. The intervention consisted of organizational changes and education regarding nursing documentation in accordance with the VIPS model, a model designed to structure nursing documentation. To evaluate the effect, patient records were audited at three different time points: before the intervention, directly after the intervention and 3 years after the intervention. A total of 269 patient records were used. The findings showed a significant score increase in quantity as well as in quality of the nursing documentation, in the intervention wards directly after the intervention, as compared with those from the comparison ward. The results suggests that a comprehensive intervention based on the VIPS model and including organizational support for registered nurses (RN) may improve nursing documentation in an acute care hospital setting.     

Evaluation of nursing documentation on patient hygienic care

This study was conducted to evaluate nursing documentation on patient hygienic care and to analyze the consistency between actual care given by nurses and that of documented in nursing record. Data were collected from 85 nurses employed at critical care units, on whom 255 sets of observations were performed through a structured participant observation form, which could be used to record the observation episodes and to audit nursing records. Results indicated that the most frequent performed hygienic care was oral care, perianal care, hand washing and bed bathing. The consistency between actual patient hygienic care and its documentation was 77.6%. The quality of nursing records was poor and inadequate to reflect individualized nursing care. Results suggest that more emphasis is needed in nursing practice and nursing education on the quality of record keeping in nursing to increase its evidential value.     

表格式护理电子文书研发与实施效果

目的 减少护理文书书写时间,确保病人的直接护理时间.方法 借助医院HIS系统开发表格式护理电子文书系统.结果 减少了护士护理文书书写时间,提高了护理文书书写质量(P<0.01).结论 表格式护理电子文书可以缩短护理文书书写时间,提高书写质量.     

Implementation of a documentation model comprising nursing terminologies--theoretical and methodological issues

AIMS: To describe and discuss theoretical and methodological issues of implementation of a nursing services documentation model comprising NANDA nursing diagnoses, Nursing Intervention Classification and Nursing Outcome Classification terminologies. BACKGROUND: The model is developed for electronic patient record and was implemented in a psychiatric hospital on an organizational level and on five test wards in 2001-2005. METHODS: The theory of Rogers guided the process of innovation, whereas the implementation procedure of McCloskey and Bulecheck combined with adult learning principals guided the test site implementation. RESULTS: The test wards managed in different degrees to adopt the model. Two wards succeeded fully, including a ward with high percentage of staff with interdisciplinary background. CONCLUSIONS: Better planning regarding the impact of the organization's innovative aptitude, the innovation strategies and the use of differentiated methods regarding the clinician's individual premises for learning nursing terminologies might have enhanced the adoption to the model. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: To better understand the nature of barriers and the importance of careful planning regarding the implementation of electronic patient record elements in nursing care services, focusing on nursing terminologies. Further to indicate how a theory and specific procedure can be used to guide the process of implementation throughout the different levels of management.     

Structuring the documentation of nursing care on the basis of a theoretical process model

The aim of this study was to develop the documentation of the substance of nursing care on the basis of a theoretical caring process model. The theory is Eriksson's caring process model and her theory of health, suffering and caring. The approach of the research task was dialogue. As a research method Koski's adaptation of Gadamer's theory of hermeneutic experience was used, in which Gadamer's hermeneutic text interpretation is divided into four phases. The phases are the explicit analysis of preunderstanding, hermeneutic dialogue, the merging of horizons and active application. The dialogue is carried on between Eriksson's theory of health, suffering and caring and clinical nursing practice and between the caring process model and nursing practice. The goal is to achieve a new scientific view on which to base the documentation of nursing care. As a result of the dialogue a classification in accordance with Eriksson's caring-process model is presented. In the next phase of the study the classification is piloted in a clinical context. The purpose is to obtain knowledge of whether the suggested classification describes what, according to the theory, it should describe.     

Risk, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers--nursing staff knowledge and documentation

The aims were to investigate (i) registered nurses' and nursing assistants' knowledge of risk, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcer before implementing a system for risk assessment and pressure ulcer classification for patients with hip fracture (ii) interventions documented in the patient's records by registered nurses, and (iii) to what extent reported and documented interventions accord with the Swedish quality guidelines. Nursing staff (n=85) completed a questionnaire, and patient's records (n=55) were audited retrospectively. The majority of the nursing staff reported that they performed risk assessment when caring for a patient with hip fracture. These risk assessments were, however, not comprehensive. The most frequently reported preventive interventions were repositioning, use of lotion, mattresses/overlays and cushions for the heels. These interventions were to some extent documented in the patient's records. Nutritional support, reduction of shear and friction, hygiene and skin moisture, and patient's education were reported to a small extent and not documented at all. The Swedish quality guidelines regarding prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers were not fully implemented in clinical practice. It was concluded that nursing staff's knowledge and documentation of risk, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers for patients with hip fractures could be improved.     

Putting policy into practice: pre- and posttests of implementing standardized languages for nursing documentation

Aims and objectives. To describe the change in documentation of the nursing process in all inpatient wards in a 900‐bed university hospital. Major research question was what are the differences between before and after implementation of documentation policy related to the steps of the nursing process? Background. Implementation of standardized languages has been shown to be difficult to accomplish in clinical practice. Patients are the source of data and their conditions, responses and well‐being should be reflected in the nursing record. As such, nursing documentation can create the premises for the development of new knowledge in nursing and the improvement of nursing performance and can provide data and information necessary for nursing researchers to evaluate the quality of interventions and participate in the formulation of healthcare policy. This study is part of longitudinal project to prepare nurses for electronic documentation within the interdisciplinary health record and to improve documentation of nursing using standardized languages. Design and method. A cross‐sectional study design was used: a pretest (n = 355 nursing records) for baseline status of nursing documentation, an intervention and a post‐test (n = 349 nursing records) to obtain data on nursing documentation. The year‐long intervention comprised planned work in groups, and educational and supporting efforts. Results. A statistically significant improvement was found in the use of Functional Health Patterns for documentation of nursing assessment, NANDA for nursing diagnoses and Nursing Interventions Classification for nursing interventions in documentation of daily nursing care for inpatients. Conclusion. At all organizational levels intervention aimed at putting policy regarding documentation into clinical practice considerably improved daily use of standardized nursing languages. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses need to use standardized language to document patient care data in the electronic health record and to demonstrate contributions to nursing care.     

科室质量管理小组在护理文件全程监控中的作用

目的对护理文件书写实施全程质量监控,提高护理文件书写质量。方法各科室成立质量管理小组,对护理文件书写质量进行全程有效监督和指导,将2009年1月至2月与2008年1月至2月归档病历的护理文件书写质量进行比较。结果护理文件书写质量提高,护理文件书写缺陷率下降（P〈0．01）。结论科室质量管理小组对护理文件书写的全程管理起到了关键作用,保证了护理文件书写质量。