The relationship between time management and quality of care : the perceptions of home care nurses

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between time management and quality of care in home care from the perspective of home care nurses.

Home care is medical care received or given to a patient by a physician or a team of nurses in the comfort of the patient’s home to help manage an illness or a chronic condition from an injury, surgery, or hospitalization. Home care offers a range of activities for the elderly, and these services are usually less expensive than hospital care. Most patients feel more comfortable receiving this care within their comes than in institutional care.

Time management is recognized as an essential tool influencing the productivity of nursing care delivery. The aim of this study is to highlight and explore nurses' perceptions of the relationships between time management and quality of care given to patients in homecare settings. The goal is to highlight the appropriate time management strategies that can enhance patients' outcomes.

A literature review was conducted to analyse the existing research on the relationship between time management and quality of care in homecare settings. During the analysis process, sixteen codes were generated, four subcategories and two categories were found to provide answers to the research questions. The findings indicate that nurses consider productive time management as crucial to delivering high-quality care in a homecare environment. Time constraints, an overwhelming amount of work, and inadequate departmental support were recognized as major key factors that lead to burnout, stress, and a decrease in patient satisfaction. Moreover, the requisite use of available resources and ICT tools has proved to be advantageous for better time use and intensified care quality when accurately executed.