Practices Based on the Clinical Judgement of Shift-leader Nurses in Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Objectives: This study identified clinical judgment-based practices of ICU shift-leader nurses.

Methods: Data collected through using observation methods and semi-structured interviews. Study participants were those with at least one year of shift-leader experience in the ICU.

Results: There were 15 research participants, with a mean number of years of leadership experience of 4.5 years. The analysis resulted in the extraction and discovery of 8 categories: (1) identifying and applying information-gathering methods to determine patient information, as needed; (2) paying attention and anticipating unforeseen circumstances in the treatments; (3) launching a crisis management system based on rapid assessment of patient crises; (4) rebalancing the nursing team by continually evaluating patient status to leverage the abilities of the nurses; (5) leading medical teams in response to changes in patient problems; (6) promoting team collaboration to form a shared awareness among healthcare professionals; (7) distributing resources based on treatment appropriateness and nursing-provision status; and (8) providing nursing education on critically ill patients based on an assessment of the nurses’ capabilities.

Conclusion: The practices of ICU shift-leader nurses range from patient life maintenance to nurse education.