Ubiety in nursing practice: Making each patient the star of the minute

Abstract

Nurses work in a fast-paced environment with increased expectations and distractions. Ubiety is a new concept that describes how nurses care for one patient at a time amid distractions. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of exemplar registered nurses (Daisy Award nurse nominees) in practicing ubiety when caring for patients in an acute care setting. Qualitative data was collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed. "Making each patient the star of the minute" emerged as the main theme and included five subthemes which highlight how nurses practice ubiety: (1) anticipating and managing distractions, (2) putting my whole self in, (3) nurse self-preservation, (4) my nursing identity, and (5) favorable practice environment. Results of this study highlight the importance of developing skills to anticipate patient care needs and supporting individual self-preservation strategies for nurses.