Effects of Bedtime Nursing Care on Perceptions of Caring for Patients on a Rehabilitation Unit: A Pilot Study

Abstract

A pilot study was conducted in an acute care hospital’s rehabilitation unit to determine the effect of a 3 min, slow, back massage during evening nursing care on patient perceptions of nurse caring. The intervention was based on Watson’s (2008; 2012) theory of caring. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare perception of nurse caring by experimental group (n = 15) and usual care group (n = 14). Results showed no statistically significant difference between the groups on patient perceptions of nurse caring. Both groups were asked survey questions after evening care was given. Both groups responded similarly. Three themes relating to nurse caring emerged from the surveys: providing hygienic and comfort care, demonstrating nurse caring behaviors, and being relaxed and comforted. Lastly, patients in both groups reported a positive experience with their evening nursing care.

Transformation of Clinical Nursing Practice Following a Caring-based Educational Intervention: A Qualitative Perspective

“…Sixteen of the studies described the effects of a given intervention using a purely quantitative approach. Aside from our pilot study, only two studies applied a mixed methods design that allowed exploring change brought about by the educational intervention in terms of clinical practice ( Broscious et al, 2015 ; Wu et al, 2009 ). The first concerned patients in a rehabilitation care unit and the second involved nursing students.…”