Why Do We Need to Study the Fundamentals of Care?

Abstract

This paper makes the case for revisiting our understanding and valuing of basic or fundamental nursing care. Despite the interest in movements such as the personcentred or patient-centred care agenda, there continues to be concern about patient safety, quality of experience and getting the simple things right. Part of this debate is around whether meeting patients' fundamental care needs (such as personal hygiene, elimination and eating and drinking) within acute care settings constitutes legitimate nursing responsibilities or whether these needs ought to become part of "hotel services" executed by care assistants with elementary training or, as in many lower-income health systems, undertaken by relatives.

How fundamental aspects of nursing care are defined in the literature: A scoping review

“…The Framework outlines three inter‐related dimensions: (i) the nurse–patient relationship; (ii) the integration of patients’ fundamental physical, psychosocial and relational needs within each care encounter; and (iii) the care context. Empirical research studies (Feo et al., ; Jangland, Kitson, & Muntlin Athlin, ; Kitson & Muntlin Athlin, ), discussion papers (Feo & Kitson, ; Jeffs, Saragosa, Merkley, & Maione, ; Kitson, ; Kitson, Muntlin Athlin, & Conroy, ; Needleman, ) and a textbook chapter (Conroy, Feo, Alderman, & Kitson, ) included in this review have relied and built on the Framework's conceptual understanding. For instance, Feo et al.…”

Towards a standardised definition for fundamental care: A modified Delphi study

“…The debate around ownership of fundamental care is not new (Darbyshire & McKenna, ; Feo & Kitson, ; Kitson, ). More than a decade ago, the Royal College of Nursing debated whether care assistants should deliver the caring component of nursing to enable Registered Nurse to focus on treatment and technical tasks (Scott, ).…”

Dignity, privacy, respect and choice—A scoping review of measurement of these concepts within acute healthcare practice

“…Within this context, there is growing awareness that fundamentals of care often receive less priority in these fast‐paced environments (Feo, Frensham, Conroy, & Kitson, 2019a). The reasons for this vary and are the subject of much debate in the literature (Kitson, 2016). However, it is postulated that inattention to fundamental care delivery is due to heavy workloads and patient acuity (Aiken et al, 2014); overreliance on the assumed independence of patients who may be older and affected by cognitive impairment and other degenerative issues that affect self‐care; increased dependence on technology by health professionals; and limited perception of importance of such (fundamental) activities by nurses, but also due to resource constraints within the environment and management approaches that limit nurses’ ability to perform their duties to the highest ethical standards (Bentzen et al, 2013).…”