Health care systems consist of various individuals and organizations that aim to meet the health care needs of people and provide a complete and responsive health care solution. One of the important aspects of a health care delivery system is nursing. The use of technology is a vital aspect for delivering an optimum and complete nursing care to individuals; and also for improving the quality and delivery mechanism of nursing care. The model proposed in this thesis for Nursing Knowledge Management System is a novel knowledge-based decision support system for nurses to capture and manage nursing practice, and further, to monitor nursing care quality, as well as to test aspects of an electronic health record for recording and reporting nursing practice. As a part of a collaborative research of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Department of Computer Science, a prototype toolset was developed to capture and manage nursing practice in order to improve the quality of care. This thesis focuses on implementing a web based SOA solution for Automated Classification of Nursing Care Categories, based on the knowledge gained from the prototype for nursing care practice. / by Sughomoy D. Dass. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Patient outcomes are influenced by the quality of care that the workforce renders. The registered nurse, as designated process-owner of the “Back to basics” quality improvement (QI) initiative, plays a vital role, being responsible for providing compassionate patient-centred care to alleviate suffering and restore health. The aim of the study was to gain an in-depth understanding of how nurses perceive their roles, responsibilities and challenges in delivering basic nursing care, linked to the organisational “Back to basics” QI initiative. A qualitative study with an explorative descriptive contextual design was utilised. Registered nurses with a direct patient care involvement in the general nursing discipline of a private hospital group participated in focus-group interviews. Data were analysed using Creswell’s data-analysis cycle. Findings were that patient care coordination involves an assessment-delegation-supervision triad. However, meeting stakeholder expectations, management and administrative responsibilities, remove the registered nurse from direct patient care. Time constraints affect physical bedside availability to model the exemplary knowledge, skills and attitudes underlying quality basic nursing care delivery. Reduced opportunities to model quality basic nursing care at the bedside affect patients’ care expectations, resulting in complaints related to basic nursing care omissions. Participants felt that they needed more clarification on the “Back to basics” QI initiative, and more in-service training. The many broad-ranging recommendations include in-service training that empowers registered nurses with the competencies to deal with role and task balance in the face of the diverse and complex demands of the modern healthcare arena. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

M.Cur. / The intensive care nurse practising respiratory nursing care, is responsible for giving high quality nursing care. Due to the rising cost of health care more pressure is placed on the nurse to provide a high quality nursing care (Sanazaro, 1986:27) Bruwer (1986:220-245) states that there is a need for an orderly, methodical qua l Ity assurance approach on all nursing levels in South Africa, based on a South African model, as well as the development of nursing standards for public and private hospitals. Mechanical ventilation forms an important part of the nursing of the adult critically ill patient in the intensive care unit. To ensure that the patient benefits from mechanical ventilation and does not suffer from complications due to mechanical ventilation, standards must be developed to ensure the giving of a high quality of nursing care. Without these standards it is impossible to determine the quality of their nursing care given. The quality can furthermore,only be questioned and not be determined scientifically. Standards for providing high quality nursing care to mechanically ventilated patients do not exist in South Africa. The quality of the nursing care that these patients receive is therefore questioned.

M.Cur. / The study on the quality of nursing unit management was done in the four training hospitals approved for registered nurses' training in Namibia. There are no written standards on the quality of unit management in the hospitals. The objectives of the study were to formulate standards on quality nursing unit management and to evaluate compliance of clinical units with these standards A quantitative, contextual, descriptive and evaluative research design was followed. The study was done in two phases. In phase one, standards were formulated by means of a literature study by the researcher and validated through consensus discussion groups with nurse managers representing the different management levels and clinical disciplines. Purposive sampling was used and 25 participants rated the draft standards for relevance, representativeness, completeness and clarity. A rating instrument for this purpose was attached to the draft standards in the form of a questionnaire, and posted to participants, before the consensus discussion groups. Reliability and validity of the instrument and related items were ensured through the development of a conceptual framework and the consensus discussion groups. The pilot study indicated that a rating scale of 'Compliance', Partial Compliance, 'Non-Compliance' and 'Not Applicable' are more appropriated. Phase two represents the quality survey for the compliance with standards. The sample for the quality survey included 60 units from all four hospitals, representative of all clinical disciplines. Data was collected by means of interviews, observation and document analysis, using an evaluation instrument. Two surveyors, the researcher and a colleague, both lecturers from the Department of Nursing, University of Namibia, were involved in the data collection process. Double evaluations were done in 19 clinical units, representing 31,7% of the total clinical units (n=60), and the researcher alone evaluated 41 units, representing 68,3%. A high inter-rater reliability between the ratings of the surveyors was proven. The ethical principles of informed consent and anonymity have been adhered to throughout the study. Data was analysed through statistical analysis and are presented as descriptive statistics and comparative statistics. The findings revealed that, although unit nurse managers emphasise unit organisation, the quality of nursing unit management in the training hospitals in Namibia is poor. The findings also revealed that a need exists to empower nurse managers through in-service education on strategic planning as well as quality management in general. The recommendations from this study are to make written standards available, to empower nurse managers in quality management, to validate standards for quality nursing unit management nationally in the Namibian hospitals and for further research.

Nursing care is considered a primary predictor of patient assessment of the overall hospital experience. Yet, quality nursing care remains difficult to define. Limited research about nurse or patient perspectives on what constitutes quality nursing care in hospital settings prevents the identification of a shared description or insight into their possible interrelationship. Research about nurse and patient descriptions is needed to establish behaviors, attributes, and activities associated with quality nursing care to improve the health and well-being of hospitalized patients. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Evidence based practice (EBP) is essential to the practice of nursing for purposes of promoting optimal patient outcomes. Research suggests that the implementation of EBP by staff nurses is problematic and influenced by beliefs, nursing leadership and the work environment. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine variables that describe the relationship among beliefs about EBP, the work environment and nursing leadership on the EBP implementation activities of the staff nurse. The variables of interest were 1) individual staff nurse characteristics, 2) beliefs about EBP, 3) the EBP work environment and 4) nursing leadership for EBP. A descriptive, quantitative method was used. A sample of 422 Registered Nurses from two urban hospitals (one Magnet and one non-Magnet) completed an online 58 item survey that included questions related to individual belief’s about EBP, the EBP work environment and nursing leadership for EBP as well as EBP implementation activities. Education, tenure and Magnet status were not significantly related to EBP implementation activities in either the univariate or multivariate analysis. EBP beliefs had a significantly positive relationship with EBP implementation activities in both the univariate and multivariate analyses. Work environment and nursing leadership support for EBP had significant positive relationships with self-reported implementation activities in only the univariate analysis. The most surprising finding was that there were no differences between Magnet and non-Magnet work environments for EBP implementation scores, yet the Magnet hospitals reported higher means on the EBP Beliefs Scale than the non-Magnet hospital. The results of this have implications for identifying and testing strategies to influence EBP implementation activities through development of nursing leadership skills for EBP and creating a more EBP friendly work environment.