Daily nursing activities in relation to patient well-being: a serial cross-sectional study

Regardless of the health status, patient well-being is important. Well-being is a broad concept ranging from traditional biomedical views to a holistic view of health that includes physical, psychological, social and religious factors. When a person is ill or has a chronic disease, well-being is affected and is thus linked to any health-related life experience. Ensuring and enhancing wellbeing is one of the main goals of nursing. This quantitative cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the time spent on physical, psychological, social and religious nursing activities, and the achievement of goals set by nurses in their daily work in terms of patient well-being in Estonia. The study was conducted in three stages: in 1999 (study I), 2009 (study II) and 2021 (study III). A total of 904 nurses participated in these three consecutive studies: study I, n = 490; study II, n = 204; and study III, n = 210. The inclusion criteria were a nursing profession and a work experience of at least one year. In conclusion, the proportion of somatic, mental, social and religious problems among patients increased. Inclusive, universal and comprehensive nursing activities were essential in achieving patient well-being. Nurses considered the achievement of goals characteristic of physical nursing as the most important aspect of their daily work, followed by mental and social nursing activities. The contribution of religious nursing activities was noticeably limited. Whether patient well-being could be achieved by directing nursing activities towards physical nursing remained unclear. The study was a systematic and comprehensive overview of the development of nursing care in Estonia and aimed to contribute to improving patient well-being by planning nursing activities.