Peer-reviewed research
Is nursing and midwifery clinical documentation a burden? An empirical study of perception versus reality
Amanda L. Cooper et al., Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2021 · DOI 10.1111/jocn.15718
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A time and motion study with a self-report survey in a Western Australian private not-for-profit hospital, July to October 2019. Observers logged 120 hours of nursing and midwifery work and measured how much of each shift went on clinical documentation.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed and based on direct observation, which is better than self-report. It covers one hospital in one country, so the shares will differ elsewhere.
Facts taken from this source
- In a Western Australian hospital, observers found nurses and midwives spent 28.1 percent of morning shifts, 22.7 percent of afternoon shifts and 20.9 percent of night shifts on clinical documentation.
“Total observed time spent on documentation was 28.1% on morning shifts, 22.7% on afternoon shifts and 20.9% on night duty.” (Results)
- Nurses and midwives reported spending 50.4 percent of morning shifts on documentation, far above the 28.1 percent that observers measured.
“The mean self-reported time for clinical documentation was 50.4% on morning shifts, 40.7% on afternoon shifts and 37.9% on night duty.” (Results)