Priority setting in clinical nursing practice: literature review

Abstract

Further study of priority setting in a range of clinical practice settings is necessary. This could inform both practice and education, promote better use of limited resources and maximize patient outcomes.

An evaluation of the competencies of primary health care clinic nursing managers in two South African provinces

“…Studies in LMICs note that planning and priority setting is a skill confined to lists of activities rather than coordinated processes with measurable outcomes and procedures for monitoring performance of PHC clinics (7, 49). Planning and priority setting skills are necessary for health systems strengthening to address deficiencies, but they have received insufficient attention in nurse education and training (50). …”

Identifying thresholds for relationships between impacts of rationing of nursing care and nurse- and patient-reported outcomes in Swiss hospitals: A correlational study

“…Because of the demonstrated importance of rationing and the lack of knowledge regarding the decision-making processes and allocation criteria nurses use to distribute scarce resources among their patients, along with the factors influencing implicit rationing of nursing (Bucknall, 2000; Hendry and Walker, 2004; Schubert et al, 2007), it is important to develop a deeper understanding of the underlying decisions and processes involved. This knowledge would help to determine which kinds of interventions are necessary when the measured rationing levels exceed the defined thresholds.…”

Priority setting and policy advocacy by nursing associations: A scoping review and implications using a socio-ecological whole systems lens

“…Priority setting processes are described related to what patients will get attention first or the order of nursing interventions [6,10]. Nurses' knowledge and experience, patient conditions, ward organization, and resources are among factors that influence how nurses establish preferential orders [10].…”

“…Priority setting processes are described related to what patients will get attention first or the order of nursing interventions [6,10]. Nurses' knowledge and experience, patient conditions, ward organization, and resources are among factors that influence how nurses establish preferential orders [10]. Similarly, the literature is replete with policy advocacy taken by individual nurses and the factors that influence their advocacy efforts including lack of preparation and knowledge, limited opportunities, and fear that careers may be jeopardized if political action is taken [11][12][13][14].…”