What's Said and Done: Nurse's Experiences of the Implementation of Patient Centred Care—An Australian Lived Experience

Background and Aim Australian healthcare practice expects the provision of patient‐centred care (PCC), viewing it as necessary for institutional accreditation and best clinical practice. There is little research examining the implementation of PCC within contemporary nursing practice in Australia. This paper aims to examine the implementation of PCC within contemporary nursing practice. Research Design A qualitative design influenced by phenomenology and guided by a Colaizzi‐inspired thematic analysis. Methodology and Methods The study design is qualitative. An in‐depth observation of clinical nursing practice was carried out in a major tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Using purposive sampling, 5 nurses participated in in‐depth interviews, each interviewed twice to promote reflection. Data were analysed using a modified Colaizzi thematic analysis. Results Four themes emerged about PCC in contemporary nursing practice: building rapport, communication, culture and family, and the omnipresence of nurses. This study demonstrated discrepancies between what is said and done by practicing clinicians. While there is no denying that PCC is significant in healthcare as an ideology, the actualisation of this in practice was often overshadowed by biomedicalised and paternalistic care practices. Conclusion PCC appears to be limited due, at least in part, to institutional drivers for (patient) compliance and (healthcare) efficiency. An onus must be placed on institutions to consider patient experience holistically and, hence, better facilitate an actual implementation of PCC.