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AnteayerInternacionales

Frail Older Patients' Experiences During Boarding in the Emergency Department: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

Aim

To explore how frail older patients experience their stay and nursing care during boarding time at the emergency department.

Design

A qualitative explorative interview study.

Method

Purposive sampling was used, with a two-step selection process: (1) Patients 65 years or older spending at least 4 h at the emergency department waiting for a hospital bed, referred to as boarding time, were (2) screened for frailty using the FRail Elderly Support researcH group screening instrument. If screening identified a patient as frail, they were eligible for an interview. Individual semi-structured interviews (n = 19) were conducted during patients' boarding time at the emergency department. Data was collected between March and April 2019. The theoretical Fundamentals of Care framework shaped the interview guide. Interviews were transcribed and an inductive latent content analysis was performed.

Results

The findings resulted in four main categories: Frail older patients felt disregarded, defenceless, and resigned during boarding time at the emergency department, yet also hopeful. The experience of hope resulted from confidence in the nurses, good nursing care, patience towards one's situation, and hope in emergency care.

Conclusion

The frail older patient experienced boarding time in the emergency department through an overarching theme: ‘being left in no-man's land in the emergency department but still feeling hopeful’. A trusting nurse–patient relationship, integrating the provision of fundamental care, is a favourable factor for the well-being of the frail older patient.

Impact

The study addressed the increased number of older adults with complex health needs, coupled with overcrowded emergency departments. Frail older patients perceive the boarding time as being left in a ‘no-man's-land’, addressing unclear information and lack of caregiver responsibility. This highlights the need for tailored guidelines and care practices that promote person-centred care and ensure safety for this vulnerable group in emergency settings.

Patient or Public Contribution

Not applicable.

The Power of a Ricoeur‐Inspired Phenomenological‐Hermeneutic Approach to Focus Group Interviews

ABSTRACT

Aim

To justify the use of focus group interviews with patients and healthcare professionals within a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach inspired by the theory of the French philosopher Paul Gustave Ricoeur.

Design and Methods

Methodological guidance and discussion grounded in Ricoeur's theory on narrative, dialogue, threefold mimesis and interpretation.

Results

This phenomenological-hermeneutical approach to focus group interviews yields significant, in-depth understandings of lived experiences from both patients and healthcare professionals.

Conclusions

Ricoeur-inspired phenomenological-hermeneutical focus group interviews with patients and healthcare professionals offer a promising approach for exploring and generating new, valuable insights into the complexities of clinical nursing practice. Thus, this paper argues for an integration of focus group interviews and a phenomenological-hermeneutical approach within nursing science.

Implications for the Profession

The approach has significant implications for nursing practice. By incorporating Ricoeur-inspired dialogue-based collective voices of patients and healthcare professionals in focus group interviews, nursing practices can be refined, leading to improved patient care and more effective clinical interventions. Thus, this approach advocates for a broader adoption of Ricoeur-inspired focus group interviews in nursing research and in health research in general to enhance the understanding and development of clinical models.

Reporting Method

No available EQUATOR guidelines were applicable to this methodological paper, as no new data were created or analysed.

Patient or Public Contribution

As this is a methodological paper, no new patient or public contributions are included.

A Practice Research Study of How Youth Understand and Manage Risks Associated With Their Food Allergy

ABSTRACT

Aim

To explore how youth understand and manage risk associated with food allergy in everyday life, aiming to inform future advanced nursing and care initiatives.

Design

Qualitative study based on critical psychological practice research.

Methods

Data was generated through participant observation and informal interviews during a 2-day camp with youth aged 18–23years (n = 10), diagnosed with food allergy in childhood. Data analysis used thematic analysis informed by a critical psychology theoretical framework.

Findings

Risk associated with food allergy is an integrated aspect of the youth life trajectories. The allergy clinic plays a crucial role in how they come to understand and manage risk. Paradoxically, knowledge of risk fosters safety as well as uncertainty. Bodily awareness plays a crucial role in managing food allergy, but minor bodily sensations can trigger anxiety and fear of anaphylaxis. Establishing routines emerges as a key strategy for managing risk, as routines reduce anxiety and facilitate participation in everyday social activities.

Conclusion

The study highlights the complexity of managing food allergy in the everyday life of youth. How risk knowledge is translated from the clinic into everyday life varies and impacts risk management strategies in different ways.

Implications for Profession and Patients

HCP must address both physical and psychosocial aspects of living with the risk associated with food allergy. Individually tailored risk communication that considers personal circumstances and experiences can help reduce anxiety and support strategies for managing food allergy in everyday life.

Impact

Integrating patients' everyday perspectives and risk management into healthcare fosters personalised care. Nurses and doctors should help patients bridge the gap between medical advice and its practical application, addressing both physical and emotional aspects of managing health risks.

Reporting Methods

The SRQR guideline for reporting qualitative research.

Patient or Public Contribution

Patient representatives were involved in developing the protocol, research questions and study aims.

Profiling vaccine hesitancy in nursing to tailor public healthcare policies: A cross‐sectional international study

Abstract

Introduction

Vaccine hesitancy is a complex issue of global concern. As nurses play a vital role in delivering patient care and shaping public opinions on vaccines, interventions to address vaccine hesitancy in nursing are imperative. As such, identifying profiles of characteristics and attitudes contributing to hesitancy may help identify specific areas of focus to target tailored global vaccination uptake campaigns. The purpose of this study was to profile the characteristics and attitudes contributing to hesitancy toward COVID-19 and Influenza vaccines in the nursing community.

Design

This multisite, cross-sectional study recruited 1967 registered nurses and 1230 nursing students from the United Kingdom, Finland, and Italy between March and September 2023.

Methods

Data collection involved an online survey adopting the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale, the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, and questions pertaining to sociodemographic and occupational characteristics. A k-means cluster analysis was used to identify various clusters of hesitancy based on the VAX Scale. One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to identify significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics, occupational factors, vaccination attitudes, and social media usage between the clusters.

Results

Three distinct clusters were identified. Profile A showed high vaccine confidence, profile B displayed slight hesitancy, and profile C reported high levels of hesitancy. In profile C, higher levels of vaccine hesitancy were identified in younger, less experienced nurses with lower educational attainment. While older nurses with higher educational attainment, who were in senior roles, were more vaccine-confident and had a consistent history of accepting the Influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations (profile A). The study found Italian nurses highly hesitant (profile C), British nurses highly confident (profile A), and Finnish nurses evenly distributed between confident, slightly hesitant, and highly hesitant (profiles A, B, and C, respectively). In addition, more frequent usage of Instagram and TikTok was associated with vaccine hesitancy (profiles B and C), and LinkedIn and X were more common among vaccine-confident individuals (profile A).

Conclusions

This study has identified specific sociodemographic and occupational factors that are related to vaccine hesitancy in an international sample of nurses. Additionally, attitudes contributing to hesitancy were identified, with worries about unforeseen future effects of the vaccine being identified as a critical attitude that may undermine confidence and increase hesitancy in nursing. This study also sheds light on the influence that social media platforms have on vaccine hesitancy and, as such, indicates which platforms are effective to disseminate vaccination campaigns to global nursing communities.

Clinical Relevance

Global vaccination campaigns should focus on specific profiles and clusters to promote vaccination in the international nursing community. Empowering nurses early in their careers will help to instill positive vaccination behaviors, ensuring a sustained uptake of vaccinations throughout the individual's career and beyond, with an impact on promoting vaccination at the public health level as well.

Relatives' needs in terms of bereavement care throughout euthanasia processes: A qualitative study

Abstract

Aim

To explore relatives' needs in terms of bereavement care during euthanasia processes, how healthcare providers respond to these needs, and the degree of commonality between relatives' and healthcare providers' reports.

Design

A phenomenological design was employed, utilising reflexive thematic analysis to examine interviews conducted with relatives (N = 19) and healthcare providers (N = 47).

Results

Relatives' needs throughout euthanasia processes are presented in five main themes and several subthemes, with similar findings between both sets of participants. Although relatives infrequently communicated their needs explicitly to healthcare providers, they appreciated it when staff proactively met their needs. Healthcare providers aimed to assist with the relatives' grief process by tending to their specific needs. However, aftercare was not consistently offered, but relatives did not have high expectations for professional follow-up care.

Conclusion

Our research offers important directions for healthcare professionals, empowering them to provide needs-based bereavement care during euthanasia processes. Moreover, it emphasises the importance of recognising the unique needs of relatives and proactively addressing them in the period before the loss to positively contribute to relatives' grief process.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care

Insights into relatives' needs in the context of euthanasia. Good practices on how healthcare providers can attend to relatives' needs before, during and after the loss

Impact

Current literature and guidelines on needs-based bereavement care in the context of euthanasia and, more generally, assisted dying, are limited. These findings provide concrete directions for practice in supporting (nearly) bereaved relatives in the context of euthanasia, potentially mitigating adverse health outcomes.

Reporting method

Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR checklist).

Patient or Public contribution

Relatives of deceased cancer patients were involved in the conduct of the study.

Women's experiences with opting out of cervical cancer screening and the role of the nurse in the women's decision‐making process

Abstract

Aim

To explore Danish women's experiences with opting out of cervical cancer screening and the role of the nurse in the women's decision-making process.

Design

A qualitative study using semi-structured, individual interviews with a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach.

Methods

Interviews were conducted with 13 women with experience in opting out of cervical cancer screening. Women were recruited through a public flyer and interviewed virtually or by phone. The interviews were analysed using the theory of interpretation from Paul Ricoeur and consisted of three levels: naïve reading, structural analysis, and critical discussion and analysis. The present study adheres to the COREQ guidelines.

Results

The women experience various personal causes for opting out of cervical cancer screening, such as low accessibility of screening appointments, discomfort during the smear test, fear of being sick, and insufficient information about the relevance of screening to the individual woman. The perceived disadvantages of screening outweighed their perceived advantages. The women's experiences did not include the role of the nurse in the procedures and knowledge sharing related to cervical cancer screening. However, nurses were described as having good communicative and relational qualifications relevant to being involved in cervical cancer screening.

Conclusion

It was challenging for the women to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of cervical cancer screening and thus to make an informed decision about participation. They expressed a need for more information on which to base their decision. This places nurses in a much needed, yet unexplored, role of identifying and lowering potential personal barriers that may outweigh the women's perceived benefits of participating in screening.

Implication for the profession and/or patient care

Nurses should play a more active role in cervical cancer screening such as improving general knowledge and facilitating two-way communication about its relevance.

Reporting Method

The present study adheres to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.

Missed nursing care in relation to registered nurses' level of education and self‐reported evidence‐based practice

Abstract

Background

Patient safety is one of the cornerstones of high-quality healthcare systems. Evidence-based practice is one way to improve patient safety from the nursing perspective. Another aspect of care that directly influences patient safety is missed nursing care. However, research on possible associations between evidence-based practice and missed nursing care is lacking.

Aim

The aim of this study was to examine associations between registered nurses' educational level, the capability beliefs and use of evidence-based practice, and missed nursing care.

Methods

This study had a cross-sectional design. A total of 228 registered nurses from adult inpatient wards at a university hospital participated. Data were collected with the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version of Evidence-Based Practice Capabilities Beliefs Scale.

Results

Most missed nursing care was reported within the subscales Basic Care and Planning. Nurses holding a higher educational level and being low evidence-based practice users reported significantly more missed nursing care. They also scored significantly higher on the Evidence-based Practice Capabilities Beliefs Scale. The analyses showed a limited explanation of the variance of missed nursing care and revealed that being a high user of evidence-based practice indicated less reported missed nursing care, while a higher educational level meant more reported missed nursing care.

Linking evidence to action

Most missed nursing care was reported within the subscales Planning and Basic Care. Thus, nursing activities are deprioritized in comparison to medical activities. Nurses holding a higher education reported more missed nursing care, indicating that higher education entails deeper knowledge of the consequences when rationing nursing care. They also reported varied use of evidence-based practice, showing that higher education is not the only factor that matters. To decrease missed nursing care in clinical practice, and thereby increase the quality of care, educational level, use of evidence-based practice, and organizational factors must be considered.

Should oral care be about more than a gut feeling? A qualitative study investigating patients' and healthcare professionals' experiences

Abstract

Aim

To explore patients' and healthcare professionals' (HCPs) experiences of oral care during hospitalisation to identify needs and challenges.

Background

Daily oral care is important to patients' health and well-being, to prevent diseases in the oral cavity, systemic infections and increased morbidity, which subsequently can lead to prolonged hospitalisation and, at worst, increased mortality. Despite this knowledge, oral care is a neglected part of nursing practice. Studies do not clearly identify barriers regarding oral care, as the existing knowledge is inadequate.

Design

A qualitative study exploring participants' experiences to gain new in-depth knowledge of oral care among hospitalised patients.

Methods

A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach was applied. Participant observations were conducted on five hospital wards, combined with individual semi-structured interviews with 16 patients and 15 HCP. Data analysis was based on Ricoeur's theory of narrative and interpretation.

Results

Four themes describing the challenges regarding oral care emerged: Oral care as a gut feeling; oral care fades into the background; even self-reliant patients need help with oral care; and the mouth reflects the life lived.

Conclusions

The identified challenges show there is a need for improvement in the health professional approach to oral care in nursing practice. Focus on increasing HCPs' knowledge, skills and competences can increase their nursing agency and support patients' self-care capacity.

Impact

Investigation of oral care during hospitalisation revealed four main challenges concerning both patients' and HCPs' lack of knowledge and awareness of oral care. Thus, patients and HCPs should be included in developing solutions to improve oral care in nursing practice.

Reporting methods

The COREQ criteria for reporting qualitative research were adhered to.

Patient contribution

A patient representative was involved in the discussion of the proposal, conduct and results of the study.

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