Samenvatting

Aim: To develop an understanding of how nurses obtain and take account of patient preferences in shared decision-making processes in evidence-based practice to provide personalized nursing care.

Design: Qualitative grounded theory.

Methods: This research was part of a PhD study successfully completed in December 2015. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 nurses in four medium-sized hospitals in the Netherlands. Additionally, seven nurses were observed during their shift on the ward. Constant comparative analysis underpinned by Strauss and Corbin’s framework was used.

Results: Three communication tools of nurses were identified to discern and attend to patient preferences to provide individual tailored nursing care: 1) A click-making tool that enables to build rapport instantly; 2) The use of antennae to carefully monitor the individual patient’s needs; 3) Asking empathic questions so that the care is fine-tuned to the individual patient’s preferences. This way, the nurses attempt to provide optimal nursing care to enhance the patient's perceived quality of life.

Conclusion: The excellent nurses have a set of three implicit and intuitive tools to continuously attune their professional care to individual patient preferences in the evidence-based practice to provide personalized care. The nurses consciously spend time to discover patient preferences. The use of the implicit communication tools appears to be part of the nurses’ professional knowledge, and deserves further research as a follow up to this study. Considering the importance of taking account of patient preferences in the evidence-based practice, these findings have international relevance to nursing professionals across the world.

Dit artikel is later verschenen in de Journal of Advanced Nursing onder de titel 'The role of patient preferences in nursing decision‐making in evidence based practice: excellent nurses’ communication tools' (2019).