The Role of Nursing Surveillance in Keeping Patients Safe

Abstract

The most frequently reported threats to patient safety take place in hospitals, with the majority of errors and adverse events occurring during the course of routine care. Nursing surveillance has been proposed as an intervention to reduce adverse patient events. This article presents an overview and analysis of nursing surveillance with emphasis on the defining characteristics, antecedents, and consequences.

Constructing definitions of safety risks while nurses care for hospitalised older people: Secondary analysis of qualitative data

“…Scholars have identified the influence of organisational contexts on how healthcare providers define risks in relation to social imperatives and protecting their identity as a professional, which includes adherence to ethical standards and provision of quality care (Dixon‐Woods, Suokas, Pitchforth, & Tarrant, ). Moreover, the literature supports the effects of system constraints on enacting safety cultures (i.e., Aiken et al., ; Butler et al., ; Debourgh, ; Dickson & Flynn, ; Dresser, ; Jeffs et al., ; You et al., ).…”

“…The findings of this study revealed that nurses were navigating the tensions of an organisational safety culture, constrained organisational resources and their own attitudes about important care, by constructing a definition of safety risks-preventing falls, removal of medical equipment and minimising disruption through restricting wandering. Butler et al, 2011;Debourgh, 2012;Dickson & Flynn, 2012;Dresser, 2012;Jeffs et al, 2008;You et al, 2013).…”

“…Increased incidents of safety events (circumstances where patients are put at risk or harmed) and poor patient care quality have been associated with healthcare professionals' ineffective communication and suboptimal workplace environments (IOM, ). Research examining relationships between nursing care, patient safety and organisational factors identifies hospital work environments as influencing nurses' efforts to manage patient safety (Aiken, Sloane, Bruyneel, Van den Heede, & Sermeus, ; Aiken et al., , ; Clarke & Aiken, ; Dickson & Flynn, ; Dresser, ; Dubois et al., ; Jeffs, Affonso, & MacMillan, ; You, Nakagawa, & Kim, ). Scholars have identified that three‐quarters of hospital safety events are attributable to decreased availability of nursing care (D'Amour, Dubois, Tchouaket, Clarke, & Blais, ).…”

“…Research examining relationships between nursing care, patient safety and organisational factors identifies hospital work environments as influencing nurses' efforts to manage patient safety (Aiken, Sloane, Bruyneel, Van den Heede, & Sermeus, 2013;Aiken et al, 2011Aiken et al, , 2012Clarke & Aiken, 2006;Dickson & Flynn, 2012;Dresser, 2012;Dubois et al, 2013;Jeffs, Affonso, & MacMillan, 2008;You, Nakagawa, & Kim, 2013). Scholars have identified that three-quarters of hospital safety events are attributable to decreased availability of nursing care (D'Amour, Dubois, Tchouaket, Clarke, & Blais, 2014).…”

Associations of Nurse Staffing and Education With the Length of Stay of Surgical Patients

“…Patients’ length of stay (LOS) is frequently used as an outcome measure to evaluate whether nurses have enough time to monitor patients and quickly intervene when complications arise (Spetz, Harless, Herrera, & Mark, ). An improved surveillance for complications can lead to earlier interventions, which can result in earlier discharges and shorter LOSs (Dresser, ). Research on the association of the nursing workforce with LOS may provide better knowledge about the significance of nurse staffing for patient outcomes (Spetz et al., ).…”