Author Identifier

Deb Massey: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0466-1960

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Journal of Advanced Nursing

Publisher

Wiley

School

School of Nursing and Midwifery

RAS ID

82040

Comments

Byrne, A. L., Massey, D., Flenady, T., Connor, J., Chua, W. L., & Lagadec, D. L. (2025). When nurses worry: A concept analysis of intuition in clinical deterioration. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16956

Abstract

Background: Nurse worry is a criterion often included in early warning systems tools and used to escalate care when other clinical markers do not indicate deterioration. What it means to worry, however, is not always clear. Aims: To generate a concept analysis of nurse worry in relation to clinical deterioration. Design: Rodgers's evolutionary method was used. Method: A review was first conducted in April 2024, searching the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Pubmed, EmCare, and Embase databases. A total of 22 articles were subjected to analysis of the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of nurse worry in the context of clinical deterioration. The processes of nurse worry were subsequently mapped and conceptualised, leading to a descriptive statement of nurse worry. Results: Worry captures a nurse's sense of knowing the patient and is embodied via assessing, sensing, recognising, and processing information, cues, and patterns. Conclusion: Nurse worry is a complex process, impacted by external and internal factors. Implications for the profession or patient care: Assured practice, driven by validation of a nurse's worry, leads to proactive care of the deteriorating patient, whereas apprehensive practice, driven by fear and trepidation, leads to reactive care of the deteriorating patient. Impact: Nurse worry is a criterion often included in early warning systems tools and used to escalate care when other clinical markers do not indicate clinical deterioration. What it means to worry, however, is not always clear. From the concept analysis, a descriptive statement of nurse worry emerged. Worry captures a nurse's sense of knowing the patient and is embodied via assessing, sensing, recognising, and processing information, cues, and patterns. Implications for the Profession or Patient Care: This research has implications for nurses, policymakers, and organisations, as nurse worry is an important element in detecting clinical deterioration. Nurse worry must be organisationally supported. Reporting Methods: PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-SCR). Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution.

DOI

10.1111/jan.16956

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Included in

Nursing Commons

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