The decision making process in a district nursing assessment

Assessment is a key element of district nursing practice and a cornerstone of community care. Yet very little research has been undertaken in this area. Given the current emphasis on evidence-based practice in health care, there is a need to ensure that district nurses, nursing students and educators can draw from an empirically derived and sound knowledge base. This article explores the relationship between knowledge and decision-making in district nursing assessment. It is based on a case study of one district nurse participant from a qualitative study of district nursing assessment. The case study material illustrates key findings from this study in order to examine the relationship between theoretical perspectives and everyday decision-making, based on the stages of decision-making identified by Carroll and Johnson (1990).