{"title":"The Characteristics of the 'Good Nurse': A Scoping Literature Review.","authors":"Ali Haddad","doi":"10.1155/nrp/8460996","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Aim:</b> To explore nurses' and patients' perspectives on characteristics of the 'good nurse' (an ethical ideal, representing perfection in nursing practice) in hospitals. <b>Design:</b> Scoping literature review and narrative synthesis. <b>Methods:</b> The scoping literature review was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Subsequently, a thematic analysis of identified papers was undertaken to uncover the main themes relating to characteristics of the good nurse. <b>Data Sources:</b> Five databases (Medline, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Professionals (CINAHL), British Nursing Index, Scopus and PsycINFO) were searched in May 2023. An initial 2968 records were identified, which were refined to 124 articles after screening titles and abstracts, and then further refined through more detailed review to 13 articles meeting the inclusion criteria for the study. <b>Results:</b> Two central themes were identified: character and competence. With respect to the good nurse's character, the virtues which were identified as important include patience, being caring, optimism, trustworthiness, selflessness, respectfulness and confidence. With respect to competence, the studies revealed that the good nurse must demonstrate knowledge and technical skill, act in a professional way, be an expert communicator, be supportive to patients and colleagues and know how to provide holistic care. <b>Conclusions:</b> The results highlight the dual importance of character and competence in defining the good nurse. Nurses and patients both recognised the importance of balancing technical expertise with character traits and effective communication to offer the best possible care.</p>","PeriodicalId":46917,"journal":{"name":"Nursing Research and Practice","volume":"2025 ","pages":"8460996"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12343166/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nursing Research and Practice","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1155/nrp/8460996","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aim: To explore nurses' and patients' perspectives on characteristics of the 'good nurse' (an ethical ideal, representing perfection in nursing practice) in hospitals. Design: Scoping literature review and narrative synthesis. Methods: The scoping literature review was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Subsequently, a thematic analysis of identified papers was undertaken to uncover the main themes relating to characteristics of the good nurse. Data Sources: Five databases (Medline, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Professionals (CINAHL), British Nursing Index, Scopus and PsycINFO) were searched in May 2023. An initial 2968 records were identified, which were refined to 124 articles after screening titles and abstracts, and then further refined through more detailed review to 13 articles meeting the inclusion criteria for the study. Results: Two central themes were identified: character and competence. With respect to the good nurse's character, the virtues which were identified as important include patience, being caring, optimism, trustworthiness, selflessness, respectfulness and confidence. With respect to competence, the studies revealed that the good nurse must demonstrate knowledge and technical skill, act in a professional way, be an expert communicator, be supportive to patients and colleagues and know how to provide holistic care. Conclusions: The results highlight the dual importance of character and competence in defining the good nurse. Nurses and patients both recognised the importance of balancing technical expertise with character traits and effective communication to offer the best possible care.
目的:探讨护士和患者对医院“好护士”(一种伦理理想,代表着护理实践的完美)特征的看法。设计:范围、文献综述和叙事综合。方法:采用系统评价和荟萃分析首选报告项目(PRISMA)方法进行范围文献综述。随后,对已确定的论文进行了专题分析,以揭示与好护士特征有关的主题。数据来源:检索于2023年5月的5个数据库(Medline, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Professionals (CINAHL), British Nursing Index, Scopus和PsycINFO)。最初确定了2968条记录,经过筛选标题和摘要,将其细化为124篇,然后通过更详细的审查进一步细化为13篇符合研究纳入标准的文章。结果:确定了两个中心主题:性格和能力。就好护士的性格而言,被认为重要的美德包括耐心、关怀、乐观、守信、无私、尊重和自信。在能力方面,研究显示,优秀的护士必须具备知识和技术技能,以专业的方式行事,是一个专家的沟通,支持病人和同事,并知道如何提供整体护理。结论:研究结果突出了品格和能力对定义好护士的双重重要性。护士和患者都认识到平衡技术专长与性格特征和有效沟通的重要性,以提供最好的护理。