Evaluating Therapeutic Boundaries Among Bedside Nurses At A Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Research Hospital

Nurse-Patient Relations Clinical Trial

— EBABN  

Official title:

Evaluating Therapeutic Boundaries Among Bedside Nurses At A Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Research Hospital

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01355731
• Other study ID #: XMP10-163 ETBABN
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: May 16, 2011
• Last updated: September 14, 2011
• Start date: May 2011
• Est. completion date: June 2011

Study information

• Verified date: September 2011
• Source: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Professional therapeutic boundaries are defined as the limits that protect the space between a professional's power and patient's vulnerability. It is important to develop therapeutic alliances while maintaining boundaries, thus ensuring nurses develop safe connections with patients and their families based on therapeutic needs. Due to the professional nature of nursing, boundary violations are common. For example, closeness and familiarity develops between the healthcare provider, patient, and caregiver that encompass the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. This provides an opportunity for intense bonds with patients and families. Furthermore in oncology healthcare, providers deliver compassionate care and empathize with patients and families while sharing in the patient's illness journey. As a result of these bonds and relationships the nurse may over disclose personal information, provide excessive patient attention, meeting their own personal needs instead of the patient and family. In addition, continuity of care contributes to boundary crossings because there is frequent repeated contact with the same patients and families which allows blurring of boundary lines. When staff spend weeks, months, or even years with the same patient the opportunity to connect and talk about personal life details exist. At the national level, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) has created materials for educating nurses in maintenance of therapeutic boundaries. Adherence to therapeutic boundaries has now become an education objective, with the development of educational interventions within many health care settings. Likewise, St. Jude nurses are at an increased risk of crossing therapeutic boundaries due to long term care relationships and vulnerable family members. However, nursing administration has not formally assessed the attributes or behaviors of the nursing staff. This proposal will describe the attributes and behaviors of the St. Jude staff nurse towards nurse-patient/family boundaries, providing knowledge to nursing leadership that will facilitate therapeutic boundaries focus groups with direct care nurses.

Description:

Participants will take a onetime researcher generated therapeutic boundaries questionnaire which will describe behaviors and attitudes regarding therapeutic boundaries.

The main objective of the study is to :

To describe behaviors and attitudes towards nurse-patient/family boundaries of direct patient care Registered Nurses (RNs) at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 121
• Est. completion date: June 2011
• Est. primary completion date: May 2011
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Registered Nurse (RN)

• Employed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at least one year

• Employed full-time (at least 90% full-time equivalent - works at least 72 hours every two weeks).

• provides direct patient care

Exclusion Criteria:

Declines survey participation

Study Design

Observational Model: Case-Only, Time Perspective: Prospective

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Nurse-Patient Relations
• Therapeutic Boundaries

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	Memphis	Tennessee

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Behaviors and attitudes of nurse-patient/family boundaries among registered nurses (RNs) at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital that provide direct patient care.	Each question will be analyzed and interpreted individually. More importantly, for each question, the percentage of nurses reporting "sometimes" or "often" will be reported because the questions where nurses more likely to score high are good references for planning the future nursing education series.	6 months	No

External Links

•   St. Jude Children's Research Hospital