Introducing the National Early Warning Score – A qualitative study of hospital nurses’ perceptions and reactions

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore hospital nurses’ perceptions and reactions to the National Early Warning Score during an introduction programme. Design: A qualitative case study approach with participatory observations was used for this study. Methods: In total, nine seminars and 23 simulation sessions attended by nurses were observed. An activity theory system analysis was applied to interpret the material. Results: The findings revealed four tensions related to the working context: (a) tension between using a standardized tool and relying on clinical judgement (the tool could be either an aid or a barrier to patient assessment); (b) tension in the community of practice (the tool could be beneficial or increase stress and anxiety); (c) tension related to rules and compliance (the tool could be perceived as optional or compulsory); and (d) tension related to the division of labour (nurses feared more work).publishedVersio

How Nurses Experience Their Work as a Learning Environment

This article explores and illuminates the meaning of nurses’ experiences with their work as a learning environment. A qualitative hermeneutic approach guided the research process and the analysis and interpretation of the transcribed interview-texts of eleven graduate nurses. Three core themes emerged from these informants’ descriptions of their work as a learning environment: ‘participation in the work community’, ‘to engage in interpersonal relations’ and ‘accessing important knowledge resources’. The study found that, for these informants, an understanding of work as a learning environment is connected to how the nurses elect to engage in their workplaces and how the workplaces regulate their participation in activities and interpersonal relations. The nurses were aware of their responsibilities for continuous learning at work, and to confirm, create and develop their practical and professional knowledge, they obtained support from knowledgeable co-workers and chose among accessible knowledge resources in their particular workplaces. Concurrently, workplace characteristics such as the community of workers, hierarchical structures, cultural practices, and personal relations influenced learning. This understanding of the learning environment in particular workplaces shows the importance of focusing on learning processes as part of professional development in an ever-changing health care system

Additional file 1: of A mixed method study of an education intervention to reduce use of restraint and implement person-centered dementia care in nursing homes

Overview of independent variables, number of respondents (N) and mean with standard deviation in parenthesis. Control and intervention group compared at baseline and follow-up. (PDF 172 kb