Adaption, benefit and quality of care associated with primary nursing in an acute inpatient setting: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the adoption of primary nursing and to determine the quality of primary nurse-led care in an acute inpatient setting. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: Participants included inpatients (N = 369) and nurses (N = 381). To assess adoption of primary nursing, patient records were analysed and an online survey of nurses was conducted from May–June 2017. To measure quality of nursing care, a structured questionnaire was administered to inpatients. Results: Patients reported high quality of individualized, responsive and proficient care, but lower levels of coordinated care. Most nurses agreed that primary nursing is beneficial for person-centred caring. However, only two-thirds found that it was practiced on their unit and only half of care planning activities were attributable to primary nurses. Conclusion: While perceived as beneficial, adoption of primary nursing in clinical practice remains partial. Hence, primary nursing may not be enough to ensure continuity and coordination of acute care.