The experience of staff utilizing data to evaluate and improve person‐centred practice: An action research study

AIM: Explore how nurses and midwives use patient experience data collected from a mobile health app to influence the development of person‐centred practice. DESIGN: Participatory action research, underpinned by the Person‐Centred Nursing Framework and Practice Development principles. METHODS: Six clinical units in a large health district engaged in three action cycles from 2018 to 2020 using a mobile health app. Nursing/midwifery staff on the units (N = 177) utilized data collected via the app to evaluate and improve person‐centred practice. A pre–post survey using the PCPI‐S was conducted to evaluate staff perceptions of person‐centredness. Data from the surveys (n = 101 in 2018 and n = 102 in 2020) and 17 semi‐structured interviews were used to understand the influence working with these data had on person‐centred practice. The Guidelines for Best Practices in the Reporting of Participatory Action Research have been used to report this study. RESULTS: Improvements in person‐centred practice were noted across both data sets. There was a statistically significant increase in two domains of the PCPI‐S in the independent t‐test and across all three domains in the paired t‐test results. Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of six themes: Getting everyone on board, once we understood, keeping on track, there's a person in the bed, knowing you're doing a good job and improving over time. CONCLUSION: Engaging with the data collected from the app in a facilitated and collaborative way results in increases in person‐centredness. IMPACT: This study provides insight into how nurses and midwives used data from a mHealth app to evaluate and improve person‐centred practice. Utilizing the data generated by the app resulted in increased person‐centredness amongst staff and changes to practice and culture. Nursing and midwifery teams who are supported to engage with patient experience data in an action‐oriented way will see person‐centred practice improvements, affecting patients and staff.