Barriers and facilitators involved in standardised care plan individualisation process in acute hospitalisation wards: A grounded theory approach

Objective To identify and classify the barriers and facilitators of the individualisation process of the standardised care plan in hospitalisation wards. Background The administration of individualised care is one of the features of the nursing process. Care plans are the structured record of the diagnosis, planning and evaluation stages of the nursing process. Although the creation of standardised care plan has made recording easier, it is still necessary to record the individualisation of the care. It is important to study the elements that influence the individualisation process from the nurses' perspective. Design Qualitative study with the grounded theory approach developed by Strauss and Corbin. Methods Thirty‐nine nurses from three hospitals participated by way of theoretical sampling. In‐depth interviews were conducted, as well as participant observation, document analysis and focus group discussion. The analysis consisted of open, axial and selective coding until data saturation was reached. EQUATOR guidelines for qualitative research (COREQ) were applied. Results For both barriers and facilitators, three thematic categories emerged related to organisational, professional and individual aspects. The identified barriers included routines acquired in the wards, the tradition of narrative records, lack of knowledge and limited interest in individualisation. The identified facilitators included holding clinical care sessions, use of standardised care plan and an interface terminology, the nurse's expertise and willingness to individualise. Conclusion The individualisation process of the standardised care plan involves multiple barriers and facilitators, which influence its degree of accuracy. Relevance to clinical practice Implementing strategies at an organisational level, professional level and individual level to improve the way the process is carried out would encourage individualising the standardised care plan in a manner that is consistent with the needs of the patient and family; it would improve the quality of care and patient satisfaction.