Barriers to Follow-Up Assessments for Nurses
Follow-up assessments are an essential part of the nursing process, as they allow nurses to evaluate the outcomes of their interventions and identify any changes in the patient’s condition after discharge from hospital admission. However, many nurses face barriers that prevent them from conducting effective follow-up assessments, such as lack of time, resources, and support.
One of the main barriers to follow-up assessments is the lack of time. Nurses often have heavy workloads and multiple responsibilities, which limit their availability and flexibility to contact patients after discharge. Moreover, some patients may be hard to reach or may not respond to phone calls or messages, which adds to the time required for follow-up assessments. According to a study by Lee et al. (2018), nurses reported that they spent an average of 15 minutes per patient for follow-up assessments, but they also encountered difficulties in scheduling and conducting the calls.
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Another barrier to follow-up assessments is the lack of resources. Nurses may not have access to adequate technology, such as computers, phones, or internet, to facilitate communication with patients after discharge. Additionally, nurses may not have sufficient information or education on how to conduct follow-up assessments, especially for complex or chronic conditions. For instance, a study by Al-Mutair et al. (2016) found that nurses lacked knowledge and skills on how to assess patients with heart failure after discharge, and they expressed the need for more training and guidelines.
A third barrier to follow-up assessments is the lack of support. Nurses may not receive enough encouragement or recognition from their managers or colleagues for conducting follow-up assessments, which may affect their motivation and satisfaction. Furthermore, nurses may face challenges in collaborating with other health care providers or agencies involved in the patient’s care after discharge, such as primary care physicians, home health services, or social workers. A study by Harkness et al. (2017) revealed that nurses experienced poor communication and coordination with other providers, which hindered their ability to provide comprehensive and timely follow-up assessments.
In conclusion, follow-up assessments are a valuable tool for nurses to monitor and improve the quality of care for patients after discharge from hospital admission. However, nurses encounter various barriers that impede their performance of follow-up assessments, such as lack of time, resources, and support. Therefore, it is important to address these barriers and provide nurses with the necessary tools and incentives to conduct effective follow-up assessments.
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References:
Al-Mutair A., Plummer V., Clerehan R., & O’Brien A. (2016). Barriers to conducting effective nursing assessment in patients with heart failure at Al-Najaf Center in Iraq: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Clinical Nursing 25(23-24), 3609-3618.
Harkness K., Heckman G.A., Akhtar-Danesh N., Demers C., Gunn E., & McKelvie R.S. (2017). Nurse-led heart failure care in rural areas: An evaluation using the RE-AIM framework. Canadian Journal of Cardiology 33(10), 1326-1334.
Lee J., Lee J., Park H.A., & Chang H.J. (2018). Factors influencing nurse-led telephone follow-up for patients with chronic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies 86, 1-11.