The perception of inappropriate care in intensive care units (ICU) may not only compromise the quality of patient care but also boost worker turnover, according to a study published last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Clinicians consider care inappropriate when it differs from their personal and professional beliefs. According to the study, such perceptions occur frequently in European and Israeli ICUs, with 27 percent of overall clinicians, 25 percent of nurses, and 32 percent of ICU physicians identifying inappropriate care in at least one of their patients.
"The main reported reason for perceived inappropriateness of care is a mismatch between the level of care and the expected patient outcome, usually in the direction of perceived excess intensity of care," the researchers said in a press release last week.
What's more, researchers found that perceived inappropriateness of care leads to moral distress and higher intent to leave the current clinical job. This shows the clinician's perspective of patient care situations can jeopardize his or her welfare, as well as the quality of care.
To ensure that physicians and nurses deliver the appropriate level of care and avoid burnout, researchers suggest healthcare leaders create ICUs that foster self-reflection, mutual trust, open communication and shared decision making.
For more information:
- read the JAMA study abstract
- here's the press release