C Furåker1, U Hellström-Muhli, E Walldal. 1. Institute of Health Care Pedagogics, Göteborg University, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. carina.furaker@fhs.gu.se
Abstract
UNLABELLED: Specific groups with complex nursing requirements, such as patients suffering from stroke, are in greatest need of a critical pathway. AIM: To study how the critical pathway is reflected in caring work from the staff's perspective. METHOD: Personnel (n = 16): physicians, care developers, speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, assistant nurses. Content analysis has been used. Two main categories were formed: function of the critical pathway and effects of the critical pathway. FINDINGS: The nurse in the stroke ward is seen as the "spider in the web". There is a need for more collaboration, both in and between hospitals and primary health care. Many of the staff members feel that they are working in a learning organization. Others say that they have low job satisfaction caused by low manning and, consequently, less time to spend with the patients. CONCLUSION: The critical care chain has not been fully developed in accordance with the care model. It emerges that patients spend a lot of time waiting while the staff have too little time to spend with patients.
UNLABELLED: Specific groups with complex nursing requirements, such as patients suffering from stroke, are in greatest need of a critical pathway. AIM: To study how the critical pathway is reflected in caring work from the staff's perspective. METHOD: Personnel (n = 16): physicians, care developers, speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, assistant nurses. Content analysis has been used. Two main categories were formed: function of the critical pathway and effects of the critical pathway. FINDINGS: The nurse in the stroke ward is seen as the "spider in the web". There is a need for more collaboration, both in and between hospitals and primary health care. Many of the staff members feel that they are working in a learning organization. Others say that they have low job satisfaction caused by low manning and, consequently, less time to spend with the patients. CONCLUSION: The critical care chain has not been fully developed in accordance with the care model. It emerges that patients spend a lot of time waiting while the staff have too little time to spend with patients.