Quality Nursing Care: A concept analysis

BACKGROUND:The concept of „quality nursing care‟ is widely used in health care with ambiguity and subjectivity. Evaluating and measuring quality is often a factor of an individual‟s knowledge and awareness, expectations and recognizable standards of quality (Chamber of nursing, 2000). Quality is attributed to material production, people and characteristics. Quality achievement and determination in nursing has also been difficult owing to the multiplicity of client‟s wishes and varying standards of quality (Freitas, J. S., et al, 2015). Professional bodies and policy makers have often designed their own concept and notion of quality leaving out the critical evaluators of quality who are the clients/ recipients of nursing care. However, satisfaction of clients is a key standard to determine quality of nursing. The aim of this paper is to clarify the characteristics of quality in nursing care and distinguish between the ordinary and holistic usage of the concept. This will assist in the implementation of quality nursing care and ultimately improve client satisfaction and outcomes. METHODS:Walker and Avant‟s framework was used to analyze the concept and the related literature published between 2010 and 2015 was reviewed. A systematic review of a total of 22 papers was done. Articles that had information on quality relating to health and nursing care were included. RESULTS:The systematic review of literature revealed that the concept of quality care in nursing still remains vague and contextual. None of the reviewed papers explored quality of care in its totality.To successfully attain quality nursing care, the necessary antecedents such as the availability of standardised tools for measuring quality and standardization of processes should be routinely implemented. The main consequence of quality nursing care is quality assurance in the nursing process .This means consistency in delivery of quality services for better patient outcomes and gain patient satisfaction (Lubbe, J. C, 2014).Some of the empirical referents which are critical in tool development for nursing research and for the enhancement of the nursing process were increased uptake of nursing services and high levels of client engagement. CONCLUSION:In a bid to holistically unravel the concept of quality nursing care the paper highlighted its attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents. Implementation of the comprehensive facets of this concept may address the current ambiguities and confusion inits definition and extent of application, distinguishing it from similar concepts. The discussions and findings can be utilized as a basis for the development of quality of care models, theories and tools for assessing and evaluating nursing care.