Environment and care: circumstances that influence the quality of healthcare perceived by the people in Colombia

Abstract

Introduction. The analysis of health situations, in terms of nursing care, requires knowledge, since it is the conceptual framework and guide for this work. Although comprehensive healthcare, according to Watson, depends on the nurse’s moral commitment to preserve human dignity, there are frequent reports that show a poor perception of the provision of healthcare services. The reports indicate that 36% of those surveyed had a poor or very poor perception of the quality of healthcare. The objective is to reflect on the circumstances that influence the quality of healthcare perceived by the people in Colombia. Topics of reflection. The topic will be addressed through the patterns of knowledge of nursing: empirical, aesthetic, ethical, sociocultural and personal. Discussion. The conditions that influence the perception of healthcare quality are grouped into two nursing metaparadigm concepts. The first is the environment, in which there are supply and demand barriers, such as technification, infrastructure and resources of the healthcare system. The second is the care, on which the employment status has an influence, since nursing professionals feel guilt, exhaustion and stress, and compromise the good perception of healthcare and the sense of professional importance. Conclusions. The act of caring in nursing is surrounded by unfavorable situations, given the barriers in the Colombian healthcare system that compromise the work of nurses. Therefore, it is necessary to reflect and develop concepts related to the patterns of knowledge of this discipline, which have an effect on the training of new professionals. This is in order to fully comply with the duty and practice of nursing in Colombia. [Duque-Castro JA, Ortiz- Urbano J, Rengifo-Arias DM. Environment and care: circumstances that influence the quality of medical care perceived by the people in Colombia. MedUNAB. 2018;21(2):60-68. doi:10.29375/01237047.2799]