Abstract

The paper analyses the impact of nurses and their work environment on the quality of nursing care that patients experience. The main view of the study was to understand the views of the nurses in Netherlands and how their work enhances positive experiences among the patients. In the research, a descriptive qualitative design was employed in the collection of data with focus groups forming the main collection techniques. Each of the focus group contained six or seven nurses in different sectors of nursing. The interviews were recorded and audio taped to ensure originality in the responses and to ensure thematic data analysis. The paper found out several elements that nurses believed to be influential in the determination of patient experiences regarding the quality of nursing care.

Summary

The paper is a critique of an article that ascertains how nurses and the environment they work in affects the quality of care experienced by the patients. In this critique, the ethical considerations are explored with a focus on the particular incidences where ethical principles were observed. Further, the paper then questions the research tradition while analyzing its suitability for the particular study. The relevance of the research tradition and its compliance with the methodology, analysis and reporting of findings is critiqued. Moreover, the effectiveness of the data collection techniques employed in the study as well as the sampling method are discussed. Later, the author identifies the link between the article under scrutiny and future clinical practice in a bid to identify possible implications.

Topic

The research article focuses on the topic of the effects of nurses and their work environment on the quality of life as experienced by the patients. The topic is analyzed through qualitative research and is aimed at providing insights into the importance of having professional nurses. In the study, a descriptive qualitative research design in collecting data where four focus groups were conducted with each group having about six or seven nurses. The purposeful sampling technique was used in selecting 26 nurses whose narratives were audio taped to maintain them in their original format. The nurses identified several elements that they believed would enhance the experiences of patients in accessing quality nursing care. The beauty of the research is that it focuses on the experiences of the patients from the perspective of the nurses. This development goes out of the way in explaining the impacts of nurses and their work environments on the quality of care given to the patients.

Ethical Aspects

In the course of the research, ethical considerations were effected and most of the ethical principles attained. The nature of the research did not demand the researchers to obtain any form of approval from ethical committees both at the local and national levels of Netherlands. This fact is attributed to the fact that it did not involve any form of invasion on the participants’ private information. By surpassing this requirement, the study complied with ethical principles even before the research commenced. In addition to having not infringed on the individual integrity of participants, the researchers first sent information about the intended objectives of the study. Indeed, every participant received written and verbal information on the aims and contents of the study before answering any of the questions asked in the research. In the same breadth, the participation of all the respondents was based on the individuals’ decision and was entirely voluntary. Moreover, data collected was analyzed in an ethical manner because of the maintenance of anonymity in the process. In the end, the results as pointed out ion the study were not traceable to the individual participants.

Research Tradition

The nature of the research is identified to conform to phenomenological studies. In the study, nurses give their own account regarding their perceptions on the influences of their work environment on the quality of nursing care. In this type of research tradition, the research normally withholds its beliefs on the occurrence of the objects under study and allows the participants to narrate their own experiences on the same. The study effectively analyses the object of nurse and work environment affecting the quality of nursing care that patients experience. In line with the dictates of the research tradition, this study incorporates a methodology that is compliant with the same. The nurses are therefore instrumental in detailing their beliefs regarding how their work environments as well as their professions affect the quality of nursing care experienced by the patients. In collecting data, the research employed the use of study groups to ascertain the varying views of the different nurses under scrutiny. In line with the concepts of the research tradition, data analysis was done in phases to incorporate the various perceptions presented. In the end, an inclusive data analysis process was employed that commenced from the early stages of data collection.

Sampling

The nature of the research provided for the use of purposeful sampling requisite for the collection of the varied perceptions of different nurses. In addition to the nature of the research, the qualitative style used did not allow for the selection of participants based on their representativeness. The style of sampling allowed for the choice of participants based on their expertise and experiences in the provision of nursing care for the patients. At the end of the sampling procedure, 26 participants were selected from a list of registered nurses within the country. The choice of the participants was restricted to practicing nurses with a good record in the care of patients.

Data Collection

Focus groups were the main data collection tools in the study with each group having six or seven participants. Through the focus groups, nurses were interviewed on their perceptions and views regarding their own areas of expertise in the nursing field. Before data collection, the participants received a letter with details of the purpose of the study with information on the content of the interview. A broad question on the perceptions of the nurses was used to collect information from the nurses and the responses recorded verbatim.

Clinical Practices

The importance of the study in the nursing profession cannot be underestimated due to the results identified in the research. The results on the perceptions of the nurses provide for the need to provide patient-centered nursing care as well as a shift in the policy on the same. The section of this paper implies the various perceptions as recorded by the nurses and the implications on nursing profession. By delving into a topic that is rarely studied, the research provides important insight and understanding into the relationship between perceptions and quality of nursing care.

References

Kieft, R. A., de Brouwer, B. B., Francke, A. L., & Delnoij, D. M. (2014). How nurses and their work environment affect patient experiences of the quality of care: a qualitative study. BMC health services research, 14(1), 1.

 
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