| Abstrakt: |
Primary nursing has been advanced as a way to improve autonomy (Brown, 1976), professionalism (Deming, 1971), accountability, continuity of nursing care (Christman, 1977), and use of hospital services (Shukla, 1983a). In this organizational modality, the nurse assumes direct responsibility for the care of a given number of patients. This system has been described as increasing job satisfaction (Manthey & Kramer, 1970), and as increasing patient satisfaction and the quality of patient care (Mundinger, 1973). It would appear that the benefits of primary nursing may reduce some of the factors which predispose to absenteeism. In the hospital selected for this trial, absenteeism was estimated to cost approximately $2 million a year. In addition, some patient dissatisfaction with nurses' attitudes was reported. These issues resulted in the recommendation that the outcomes of primary nursing be compared with those of team nursing, typically practiced by nurses in this hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
