Abstract
This study examined where and why barriers exist in the cognitive process that inhibits nurses’ ability to recognize the immediate needs of patients. A literature review of previous studies was conducted.
Barriers inhibiting the recognition of patient needs include : nurses are inattentive in areas they should observe if not knowing what to observe ; when being focused on their regular duties, nurses are either inattentive in areas they should observe or even if they happen to see something, they do not actually recognize it ; and, in particular, nurses with no knowledge or experience do not actually recognize something even if they happen to see it.
Observation scenarios were divided into nurses noticing patient surroundings and risk awareness, while undertaking regular nursing duties ; however, nurses’ observation and recognition of the patient’s needs were not reported. Future research should explore in more depth nurses’ ability to recognize patient needs.
