Researcher name
Sue Thomas, University of South Wales

Supervisors
Dr Carolyn Wallace (USW)

PhD study title
Evaluating ANGEL used by community nurses to identify patient complexity.

Date awarded
PhD in progress

Summary
This study will focus on the evaluation of a patient assessment instrument that enables district nurses to identify, capture and measure patient complexity for individuals and groups of patients in community settings.

Policy and demographic influences have led to community-based (district) nurses managing changing workloads of sicker, more complex patients requiring nursing care at home (Barrett et al, 2007; Queen’s Nursing Institute, 2006). Recent efforts have been made within Wales to understand more about the nursing needs of patients in community settings, with the aim to be able to predict which patients have greatest need or who have changing need that may place them at risk of rapid deterioration. District nurses (DNs) offer a generalist nursing model of care for patients with multiple health problems and social needs; and their approach to assessment of patient need will be the focus of the research study.