The role of patient preferences in nursing decision‐making in evidence based practice: excellent nurses’ communication tools

Aim: To develop an understanding of how nurses take account of patient preferences in nursing decision-making in evidence-based practice to provide individual tailored nursing care. Design: Qualitative grounded theory. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 nurses in four medium-sized hospitals in the Netherlands. Furthermore, seven nurses were observed during their shift. Constant comparative analysis underpinned by Strauss and Corbin's framework was used. Results: Three communication tools of nurses were identified to discern and attend to patient preferences: (a) a click-making tool enables to build rapport instantly; (b) antennae monitor individual patient's needs; and (c) asking empathic questions to fine-tune to individual patient preferences. Participants emphasized that giving individual attention enhances the patient's experienced quality of life. Conclusions: Excellent nurses in evidence-based practice consciously spend time to discover patient preferences using the set of implicit and intuitive communication tools to attune their professional care. The use of these tools leads to individual tailored nursing care and appears to be part of the nurses’ practical wisdom. Further studies on how nurses balance patient preferences in nursing decision-making in the evidence-based practice are recommended. Impact: The findings fill a gap in the literature on how nurses discover and balance all three aspects of the evidence-based practice in their decision-making: evidence derived from science, best practice, and patient preferences. Moreover, the use of this implicit knowledge in nursing deserves further research and attention in practice and education.