ROLE OF NURSES AS BEDSIDE CARE PROVIDERS IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF ISLAMABAD AND RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN: A DESCRIPTIVE EXPLORATORY QUALITATIVE STUDY
Keywords:
Bedside nursing Nurses Tertiary care hospitals Patient-centered care Qualitative research Pakistan.Abstract
Background: Bedside nurses are the main point of contact between patients and the health system, yet in Pakistan they work with severe staff shortages, heavy workloads and limited resources. Little qualitative evidence describes how bedside nurses in the tertiary care hospitals of Islamabad and Rawalpindi understand and carry out their role. This study explored the role of nurses as bedside care providers in these hospitals.
Methods: A descriptive exploratory qualitative design was used. Six registered nurses providing bedside care in two tertiary care hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face, audio-recorded interviews, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results: Four categories emerged: (1) scope of nursing care practice in tertiary care hospitals; (2) challenges to providing patient-centered quality nursing care; (3) psychosocial challenges of nurses; and (4) need for continued professional development of nurses. Participants described responsibilities ranging from handover, assessment and medication administration to family counseling, discharge planning and patient advocacy. They reported high nurse-to-patient ratios, excessive workload, shortages of staff, equipment and medicines, weak institutional support and communication barriers, together with burnout, emotional strain and a lack of respect for the profession. They called for regular training, mentorship and support for evidence-based practice.
Conclusion: Bedside nurses understand their role as broad and holistic, but staffing, resource and organizational constraints limit their ability to deliver it. Safe staffing, adequate resources, administrative support, protection from abuse and structured continuing professional development are needed to strengthen bedside nursing and the quality of patient care.
