Exerting Capacity: A Grounded Theory Study of the Perspectives of Bedside Registered Nurses about Patient Safety in the Adult Acute Care Environment

The concept of patient safety has become a priority focus in healthcare research since 2000 following the release of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) (1999) report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Despite the development and implementation of patient safety initiatives, there continues to be an alarming number of unfavorable clinical outcomes for hospitalized patients. The vast majority of research into the concept of patient safety uses quantitative methods; to date, there has been no qualitative exploration of those closest to the patient: bedside nurses. This Classical Grounded Theory (CGT) study explored the perspectives of bedside Registered Nurses about patient safety. CGT methods, including the constant comparative method, substantive and theoretical coding, theoretical sampling, and memoing were utilized for data analysis (Glaser, 1978, 1998, 2005, 2013, 2014; Glaser & Strauss, 1967). The substantive theory that emerged from the data, Exerting Capacity, explains how the bedside nurse balances her own capacity against the demands of a given situation to fulfill her duty to keep her patients safe. A theoretical understanding of patient safety from the perspectives of bedside nurses helps to fill a gap in the existing nursing literature surrounding patient safety and establishes the groundwork for future research into the concept of patient safety.

Name thesis:degree_name

Nursing (Doctoral)

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Author dc:creator

• Leger, John Michael

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Phillips, Carolyn A

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Davila, Yolanda R
• Verklan, M. Terese
• Nilsen, Susan
• Reiter, Margaret

• patient safety
• exerting capacity
• indemnifying duty

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2152.3/11211

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utmb-ir.tdl.org:2152.3/11211