Adapting nurse competence to future patient needs using Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology

Abstract

Background: New emerging technologies, health globalization, demographic change, new healthcare paradigms, advances in healthcare delivery and social networking will change the needs of patients in the future and consequently will require that new knowledge, competence and skill sets be acquired by nurses.

Method: Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology, focusing on the enriched CATWOE and PQR elements of the root definitions, combined with our own developed "Too much - Too little constraint" approach was used to devise impending knowledge, competence and skill sets.

Results: The analysis revealed ten needs among patients of the future, 63 constraints and 18 knowledge, competence and skill sets for the future nurse.

Conclusion: The completed study showed that SSM is an appropriate tool for high level structuring of a "messy" real-world problem situation to meet prospective nursing challenges.

Keywords: Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology; Nurse competence in the future; Nursing education; Patient of the future.