Late entries: Lack of consensus in definitions with nursing implications

Citation
Ml. Murray et al., Late entries: Lack of consensus in definitions with nursing implications, J NURS C Q, 15(3), 2001, pp. 32-38
Citations number
3
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science
Journal title
JOURNAL OF NURSING CARE QUALITY
ISSN journal
10573631 → ACNP
Volume
15
Issue
3
Year of publication
2001
Pages
32 - 38
Database
ISI
SICI code
1057-3631(200104)15:3<32:LELOCI>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to elicit legal definitions and nurse definit ions of a late entry. An exploratory study using a 34-item survey was condu cted. Participants who attended an advanced fetal monitoring course conduct ed by the primary author were asked to complete the survey. Two hundred fif ty-seven participants completed the survey. The sample included a physician , 13 certified nurse midwives, five nurse practitioners, and a licensed pra ctical nurse. Two hundred and fifty-three participants were registered nurs es. The median full-time nursing experience was 14.5 years. Nurses with an average of 14.3 years of experience used descriptive words, such as "out of sequence," to define an entry as late. Nurses with an average of 17.4 year s of experience used minutes or hours to define when an entry was late. The average time for an entry to be considered late was 41.53 minutes after an event or action. Nurses who documented using a computer were significantly more likely to use a time Game to define an entry as late. There was no co nsensus on the definition of a late entry either by nurses or the courts. T he majority of nurses define a late entry using qualitative descriptors. A well-accepted definition is needed to define when an entry is timely and va lid and when it becomes so late that it lacks credibility.