Experienced nurses' perceptions of essential nursing care in the emergency department – A focus group study

ED nursing is complex and requires skill to prioritise among multiple essential nursing tasks constantly in an environment that itself is constantly changing. A priority is to identify warning signs quickly, ensure patient safety and keep length of stay as short as possible. Due to variation in patients' symptoms, almost all nursing tasks, such as performing various medical interventions and meeting physical and psychosocial needs, were considered to be essential nursing. However, the need to prioritise among essential tasks may lead to less urgent tasks being postponed or missed.