Role of emotions in the clinical decision-making process of the hospital nurse: A multicentre qualitative study

Abstract

While for a long-time emotional reaction and moral distress, have been primarily investigated for the possible outcomes of the nursing decision-making process rather than in terms of their role as antecedents of the final decision taken. The primary study's aim is to explore how inpatient nurses' decision-making takes place in different care settings, with a special focus on the role played by emotions during decision-making. The secondary aim is to explore the subjective experience of hospital nurses in relation to successful and unsuccessful decision-making situations.Multicentre qualitative study, consisting of three phases with different designs: participatory study, grounded theory study, and phenomenological study. Participants will be nurses and may be doctors with various levels of professional experience working in hospital, outpatient, or ward settings. Participants will be recruited through different sampling (purposive and convenience). Data will be collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews with nurses working in different hospital care settings. The researchers expect to find themes that will contribute to a better understanding of the role of emotions in decision-making. The results of this study have the potential of providing important implications to support nurses in the recognition and management of their emotions during the decision-making process.