Projektdetails

The dissertation project is part of the framing study entitled “Nurse-led Unit at KBR: Mixed-methods study for the development, implementation and evaluation of a nurse-led ward in a hospital”, funded by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space. The aim of the study is the development of a concept for a nurse-led unit (NLU) in a hospital in Germany.

In hospitals, nurses, physicians and therapists make complex care decisions together on a daily basis. On NLUs, where nurses assume extended responsibilities for coordination and decision-making, structured interprofessional collaboration is essential.

The cumulative doctoral project develops and investigates an interprofessional case discussion as a structured decision-support intervention within the care team. Across three consecutive sub-studies, a theory-informed and practice-oriented intervention model is developed.

First, a programme theory is developed prospectively. For this purpose, a systematic literature review, focus group interviews and a document analysis are conducted and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Based on this, contextual conditions, mechanisms of action and expected outcomes of the intervention are modelled.

Subsequently, the case discussion is implemented in the clinical setting and examined using a realist evaluation approach. Using a quantitative longitudinal survey, it is analysed under which conditions, for whom and why the intervention works. The findings are used to further refine and empirically substantiate the programme theory.

The aim of the project is to understand mechanisms of interprofessional decision-making in inpatient care and to provide an evidence-based concept for the sustainable implementation of nurse-led care structures.