An analysis of the concept of patient participation

Older persons and relatives' experience of coordinated care planning via a video meeting

Aim

The study aimed to describe coordinated care planning via a video meeting from the perspective of older persons and their relatives.

Design

A qualitative inductive research design was used to describe older persons and relatives’ experience of care planning via video meeting.

Methods

Eight unstructured interviews were conducted. Purposive sampling resulted in a sample of four older persons and four relatives. The material was analysed by qualitative content analysis.

Results

The theme being excluded illustrates how the older persons and their relatives experienced care planning via a video meeting as lack of a personal relationship, meaninglessness and lack of participation. The older persons and their relatives had a feeling of being excluded and in an unfamiliar situation. Lack of information about the meeting's structure and content impaired their ability to prepare for it beforehand, which led to uncertainty.

Feasibility and early effectiveness of the Tell-us Card communication tool to increase in-hospital patient participation: a cluster randomised controlled pilot study

BACKGROUND

Patient participation is fundamental to nursing care and has beneficial effects on patient outcomes. However, it is not well embedded yet and little is known on how nurses could effectively stimulate patient participation in hospital care. The Tell-us Card is a communication tool for inviting patients to talk about their preferences and needs, and to increase patient participation in daily care.

OBJECTIVES

To assess feasibility and early effectiveness of the Tell-us Card communication tool for enhanced patient participation during hospitalisation.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A pilot cluster randomised controlled study design was used including four nursing wards. Effectiveness was measured with the Individualized Care Scale (ICS) and the Quality from the Patients' Perspective (QPP) questionnaire. Linear mixed model analysis was used for analysis. Feasibility was assessed with an evaluative questionnaire for patients and nurses and by reviewing the content of Tell-us Cards using the Fundamentals of Care Framework (FOCF) for analysis. Ethical approval was attained.

RESULTS

Data of 265 patients showed a significant increase at one intervention ward on the ICS (effect size 0.61, p = 0.02) and most ICS subscales. No effect was visible on the QPP. The majority of patients regarded the intervention as beneficial; nurses however experienced barriers with incorporating the Tell-us Card into daily care. Analysis of the Tell-us Card content showed many elements of the FOCF being mentioned, with most patients indicating psychosocial needs like being involved and informed.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot study showed a positive early effect of the Tell-us Card communication tool on patient participation, although integration in daily nursing care appeared to be complex and an optimal fit has not yet been reached. Patients were positive about the intervention and wrote meaningful issues on the Tell-us Cards. More research is needed on how to incorporate patient participation effectively in complex hospital care.

Hospital patients' perceptions of using a technology-based intervention to participate in their nutrition care: A qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Promoting patient participation in health care is a worldwide health care priority. When patients participate in their nutrition care during hospitalisation, they are more likely to meet their dietary needs. Patient participation is a potential solution to hospital malnutrition, for which inadequate dietary intake is the major modifiable risk factor. Our team developed a health information technology (HIT) intervention aiming to improve patients' dietary intakes during hospitalisation by engaging them in their nutrition care. The aim of this study was to explore patient perceptions and acceptability of the intervention.

METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study was conducted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Australia. Participants were a subset of patients from a larger feasibility study, selected using maximum variation purposive sampling to include a broad representation of patients in terms of age, gender and experience with technology. All patients had used the HIT intervention to participate in their nutrition care in hospital, through nutritional goal setting and dietary intake monitoring. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect qualitative data on patients' perceptions of the intervention, focusing on acceptability. Data were analysed thematically.

FINDINGS

11 patients participated in interviews, from which two main themes emerged. The first captured patients' experiences and perceptions of using technology to participate in their nutrition care. Patients found it easy to use, useful and valuable, but still valued interaction with researchers and hospital staff. The second theme portrayed the spectrum of participation, from simply learning about nutrition, to self-monitoring and evaluating, to changing behaviour. Participants enjoyed gaining new knowledge and awareness around nutrition. Most self-monitored their food intake and evaluated their goals, and some changed what foods they ordered based on what they had learned.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients responded positively to the intervention, likely because they found it valuable and easy to use. These findings are promising for potential future use of HIT to engage hospital patients in care. Future research should investigate the effects of HIT interventions on patient-centred outcomes in hospital.

"Co-production Compass" (COCO): An Analytical Framework for Monitoring Patient Preferences in Co-production of Healthcare Services in Mental Health Settings

Background: Engaging patients in raising their voices to advocate for their priorities being taken into account is today acknowledged as essential to improve research and decision-making in healthcare. However, literature is scarce regarding an evaluation framework to monitor the extent to which this approach is successful, in particular in mental health, where the application of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is particularly difficult. In this study, we describe the process of development and first implementation of a new assessment framework-"Co-production Compass" (COCO) framework-for monitoring patient preference collection in co-production of healthcare services within the scope of a national-based project (namely, Recovery.Net) in the mental health field. Method: We conducted (1) a narrative scan of relevant scientific literature on patient engagement in service co-production and (2) qualitative analysis of five subsequent workshops involving-in total-144 expert stakeholders (i.e., expert patients, doctors, nurses, psychologists, healthcare managers…). Data analysis involved three phases: identifying the themes, developing a framework, and confirming the framework. We coded and organized the data and abstracted, illustrated, described, and explored the emergent themes using thematic analysis. At the same time, content analysis was conducted to retrieve concepts and insights from relevant literature about health services co-production to integrate and extend the emergent conceptual framework. The framework was finally reviewed by the research partners belonging to the study project and preliminarily implemented. Results: According to the results of both the literature scan and the participatory workshops, the COCO evaluation framework for monitoring patient preference collection when coproducing medical pathways was drafted. The framework comprised of three organizing themes, corresponding to the three code clusters, which emerged from both the stakeholders' workshop data and relevant scientific literature: "the need for shared and practice-oriented evaluation standards"; "the quest for a multi-dominion approach"; "the need for a multi-stakeholder evaluation". These themes were interconnected and formed a conceptual framework to measure the phenomenon of meaningful patient involvement in healthcare co-production. This framework was endorsed by the research partners of the project and preliminarily applied in a mental health setting. Conclusion: The COCO framework provides guidance on aspects of co-production in healthcare to address for meaningful patient involvement in giving their inputs for more effective service and drug development processes. It could be particularly useful when monitoring patient-researcher partnership initiatives.

Assessing and reporting patient participation by means of patient preferences and experiences

BACKGROUND

Although patient participation is strongly associated with high quality of healthcare, valid means to measure and report a comprehensive notion of patient participation are scarce. The Patient Preferences for Patient Participation (4Ps) is a new healthcare practice and research tool, comprising patients' preferences as well as experiences. The 4Ps employs 12 items for the patient to conceptualise patient participation. The aim of this paper is to describe how the two perspectives of patient participation, namely preferences and experiences, can be combined to visualise and report preference-based patient participation.

METHODS

With four response alternatives in each section, the 4Ps offers sixteen possible combinations of degree of match per item. Theoretical and clinical principles fostered a tentative order of six ranks and three levels of preference-based patient participation. To test the standard, statistical analyses for ordinal data were performed, using data from a randomised controlled trial evaluating an intervention aiming to improve patient participation. Further, structures for visualising the preference-based patient participation of individuals and groups were suggested.

RESULTS

Data from the 4Ps demonstrated the individuals' preference-based patient participation, indicating either a match or a mismatch for each item. Mismatches represented either the experience of participation surpassing the patient's preferences, or the patient's preferences for patient participation not being established. At group level, the suggested approach for visualising and reporting the 4Ps demonstrated that the intervention group had a significantly higher proportion of sufficient preference-based patient participation for certain items than the control group. These results had not been identified earlier, when using the preferences and experiences of patient participation as separate measures.

CONCLUSIONS

Ways to easily acquaint stakeholders with patients' preferences for patient participation are needed, in order for healthcare staff to better use resources to match the basic requirements of individuals and groups. While the 4Ps can guide professionals to patient participation as framed in legislations, concept analyses and by patients, a visualisation of the results is needed to capture preference-based patient participation. The proposed route to representing degree of match in preferences and experiences may also be relevant to other dimensions of quality of healthcare.

Systematic review of psychometric properties of instruments measuring patient preferences for engagement in health care

AIM

To identify, critically appraise, and summarize instruments that measure patients' preferences for engagement in health care.

DESIGN

Psychometric systematic literature review.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from inception to March 2019.

REVIEW METHODS

Three reviewers independently evaluated the 'methodological quality' and the 'measurement properties' of the included instruments using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist and Terwee's quality criteria. Each instrument was given a Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) score. The review was registered at PROSPERO (registry number CRD42018109253).

RESULTS

A total of 16 studies evaluating 8 instruments measuring patients' preferences for engagement in health care were included. All instruments were downgraded for their 'methodological quality' or 'measurement properties', or a combination of both. Common concerns were lack of theoretical basis, absence of patient input during development, incorrect usage and reporting of validity measures and absence of a priori hypotheses to test validity.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no identified instruments that demonstrated adequate evidence for all measurement properties. The Patient Preferences for Patient Participation Scale (4Ps) and 10-item Decisional Engagement Scale (DES-10) had the highest overall GRADE scores; however, each had some underlying developmental or methodological issues.

IMPACT

Assessing how patients prefer to engage in their care is a critical first step to truly individualize engagement interventions to meet patient expectations. Systematic reviews of measures of patient experience with engagement in health care have been undertaken but none are available on measures of patient preferences for engagement. The results highlight the need to further develop and test instruments that measure patients' preferences for engagement in health care within a framework for consumerism. Involving the consumer in the instrument development process will ensure that engagement strategies used by healthcare providers are relevant and individualized to consumer preferences.

Involvement in maternal care by migrants and ethnic minorities: a narrative review

BACKGROUND

Guidelines for improving the quality of maternal health services emphasise women's involvement in care. However, evidence about migrant and ethnic minorities' preferences for participation in maternal care remains unsystematised. Understanding these populations' experiences with and preferred forms of involvement in care provision is crucial for imbuing policies and guidelines with sensitivity to diversity and for implementing people-centred care. This paper presents a narrative synthesis of empirical studies of involvement in maternal health care by migrants and ethnic minorities based on four key dimensions: information, communication, expression of preferences and decision-making.

METHODS

Studies indexed in PubMed and Scopus published until December 2019 were searched. Original quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies written in English and reporting on migrant and ethnic minority involvement in maternal care were included. Backward reference tracking was carried out. Three researchers conducted full-text review of selected publications.

RESULTS

In total, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were comparative and addressed only one or two dimensions of involvement, with an emphasis on the information and communication dimensions. Compared to natives, migrants and ethnic minorities were more likely to (1) lack access to adequate information as a result of health care staff's limited time, knowledge and misconceptions about women's needs and preferences; (2) report suboptimal communication with care staff caused by language barriers and inadequate interpreting services; (3) be offered fewer opportunities to express preferences and to have preferences be taken less into account; and (4) be less involved in decisions about their care due to difficulties in understanding information, socio-cultural beliefs and previous experiences with care provision less attuned with playing an active role in decision-making and care staff detracting attitudes.

CONCLUSION

Constraints to adequate and inclusive involvement in maternal care can hinder access to quality care and result in severe negative health outcomes for migrant and ethnic minority women. More research is needed into how to tailor the dimensions of involvement to migrant and ethnic minorities' needs and preferences, followed by provision of the resources necessary for effective implementation (e.g. sufficient time for consultations, optimal interpreter systems, health care staff training).

Engaging hospitalised patients in their nutrition care using technology: development of the NUTRI-TEC intervention

Background

Nutrition is vital for health and recovery during hospitalisation, however most patients fail to meet minimum dietary requirements and up to 50% of patients are malnourished in hospital. When patients participate in nutrition care, their dietary intakes are improved. Advances in health information technology (HIT) have broadened the ways by which patients can participate in care. Our team has developed an innovative, HIT-based intervention (called NUTRI-TEC; engaging patients in their nutrition care using technology), facilitating patient participation in their nutrition care in hospital. This paper aims to describe the systematic and iterative process by which the intervention was developed.

Methods

NUTRI-TEC development was informed by the Medical Research Council guidance for developing complex interventions and underpinned by theoretical frameworks and concepts (i.e. integrated knowledge translation and patient participation in care), existing evidence and a rigorous program of research. The intervention was co-developed by the multidisciplinary research team and stakeholders, including health consumers (patients), health professionals and industry partners. We used an iterative development and evaluation cycle and regularly tested the intervention with hospital patients and clinicians.

Results

The NUTRI-TEC intervention involves active patient participation in their nutrition care during hospitalisation. It has two components: 1) Patient education and training; and 2) Guided nutrition goal setting and patient-generated dietary intake tracking. The first component includes brief education on the importance of meeting energy/protein requirements in hospital; and training on how to use the hospital’s electronic foodservice system, accessed via bedside computer screens. The second component involves patients recording their food intake after each meal on their bedside computer and tracking their intakes relative to their goals. This is supported with brief, daily goal-setting sessions with a health care professional.

Conclusions

NUTRI-TEC is a HIT intervention designed to enable patient participation in their nutrition care in hospital. As research on HIT interventions to engage patients in health care in the hospital setting is in its infancy, and as gaps and inconsistencies in the development of such interventions exist, this paper will inform future development of HIT-based interventions in the hospital setting.

"Patient participation" and related concepts: A scoping review on their dimensional composition

OBJECTIVES

Several concepts on collaboration between patients and healthcare systems have emerged in the literature but there is little consensus on their meanings and differences. In this study, "patient participation" and related concepts were studied by focusing on the dimensions that compose them. This review follows two objectives: (1) to produce a detailed and comprehensive overview of the "patient participation" dimensions; (2) to identify differences and similarities between the related concepts.

METHODS

A scoping review was performed to synthesize knowledge into a conceptual framework. An electronic protocol driven search was conducted in two bibliographic databases and a thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

The search process returned 39 articles after exclusion for full data extraction and analysis. Through the thematic analysis, the dimensions, influencing factors and expected outcomes of "patient participation" were determined. Finally, differences between the included concepts were identified.

CONCLUSION

This global vision of "patient participation" allows us to go beyond the distinctions between the existing concepts and reveals their common goal to include the patient in the healthcare system.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This scoping review provides useful information to propose a conceptual model of "patient participation", which could impact clinical practice and medical training programs.

Patient and family engagement as a potential approach for improving patient safety: A systematic review

AIMS

To obtain a comprehensive insight of the impact of patient and family engagement on patient safety and identify issues in implementing this approach.

BACKGROUND

Patient and family engagement is increasingly emerging as a potential approach for improving patient safety.

DESIGN

Mixed method multilevel synthesis.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrance Library (January 2009-April 2018).

REVIEW METHODS

The review was conducted according to the principles recommended by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Review and in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines.

RESULTS

Forty-two relevant studies were identified. Common intervention groups included 'direct care' and 'organization' levels with 'consultation' and 'involvement' approaches, while the 'health system' level and 'partnership and shared leadership' approaches were rarely implemented. Findings revealed positive effects of the interventions on patient safety. Most study participants expressed their willingness to engage in or support patient and family engagement. However, existing gaps and barriers in implementing patient and family engagement were identified.

CONCLUSION

Future research should further focus on issuing consensus guidelines for implementing patient and family engagement in patient safety, extending the research scope for all aspects of patient and family engagement and patient safety and identifying priority areas for action that is suitable for each health facility.

IMPACT

Policymakers should issue guidelines for implementing patient and family engagement in healthcare systems which would enable healthcare providers to implement patient and family engagement and improve patient safety appropriately and effectively.

What do speech-language pathologists describe as most important when trying to achieve client participation during aphasia rehabilitation? A qualitative focus group interview study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate what speech-language pathologists describe as most important when trying to achieve client-oriented participation during aphasia rehabilitation. Method: A qualitative study including semi-structured focus group interviews with 11 speech-language pathologists. Interviews were analysed with the use of systematic text condensation. Result: Four main themes emerged from the analysis. (1) It is important to take the vulnerability of the client group into account. (2) It is important to address the client's process of realisation by navigating around unrealistic wishes and goals. (3) It is challenging to involve clients when the evidence-base for clinical practice is limited. (4) It is crucial to make therapy meaningful to the client. Conclusion: This study showed that speech-language pathologists perceived prediction of a clinical course in aphasia rehabilitation as challenging due to the vulnerable client group and the perceived need to guide the clients through the rehabilitation process. They talked about how unrealistic client goals, and the lack of a solid evidence-base to guide their clinical practice, made collaborative goal setting and treatment planning challenging. Due to these barriers, the speech-language pathologists struggled to achieve client participation, and thereby aphasia rehabilitation could not be described as fully client-oriented.

Patient participation in dialysis care-A qualitative study of patients' and health professionals' perspectives

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) affects a multitude of aspects in the patient's daily life, often entailing their own involvement in various aspects of the treatment. Although patient participation is a core health-care value, what the concept signifies is not yet fully known. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize patient participation in dialysis care, depicting patients' and health-care professionals' perspectives.

DESIGN

This explorative study employed qualitative interviews and content analysis.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Seven focus group discussions engaging 42 key informants were performed, including patients, staff and managers with experience of dialysis care.

RESULTS

In dialysis care, patient participation connotes a sharing of information and knowledge, the learning of and planning of care, including partaking in shared decisions with regards to treatment and management, and being involved in the management of one's own health-care treatment and/or self-care activities. Although these attributes were illustrated by all stakeholders, their significance varied: patients suggested that their preferences regarding primary aspects of participation vary, while staff considered patients' performance of dialysis to be the ultimate form of participation. Further, while patients considered multiple ways to execute participation, staff suggested that aspects such as sharing information were a route to, rather than actual, involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Without a common understanding to denote the idea of patient participation, staff and patients are exposed to a potential deficit in terms of facilitating patient participation in everyday encounters of dialysis treatment. Further studies and means to serve a mutual understanding are needed.

Patient participation in municipal elderly care from the perspective of nurses and occupational therapists

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe how nurses and occupational therapists in municipal care of older people define and implement patient participation in their daily work.

DESIGN

This study had a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using an online questionnaire.

METHODS

The questionnaire had both closed and open-ended questions. One-hundred and fourteen nurses and occupational therapists responded. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Two main themes were identified as follows: "The professionals' perspective at the centre - Patient participation to enhance compliance" and "The patients' perspective at the centre - Patient participation as an ongoing process." The themes covered a continuum. On one extreme, patient participation was equated with making the patient comply with what the professionals wanted to do. On the other extreme, all power was transferred to the patient. The first theme was restricted to the decision-making process. The second theme covered the entire care or, rehabilitation, process.

Reprint of: Patient participation in nursing bedside handover: A systematic mixed-methods review

BACKGROUND

Numerous reviews of nursing handover have been undertaken, but none have focused on the patient's role.

OBJECTIVES

To explore how patient participation in nursing shift-to-shift bedside handover can be enacted.

DESIGN

Systematic mixed- methods review.

DATA SOURCES

Three search strategies were undertaken in July-August 2016: database searching, backwards citation searching and forward citation searching. To be included, papers had to either be research or quality improvement (QI) projects focusing on the patient role. Fifty-four articles were retrieved, including 21 studies and 25 QI projects.

REVIEW METHODS

Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal was undertaken systematically by two reviewers. Research studies and QI projects were synthesised separately using thematic synthesis, then the results of this synthesis were combined using a mixed-method synthesis table.

RESULTS

Segregated synthesis of research of patients' perceptions revealed two contrasting categories; patient-centred handover and nurse-centred handover. Segregated synthesis of research of nurses' perceptions included three categories: viewing the patient as an information resource; dealing with confidential and sensitive information; and enabling patient participation. The segregated synthesis of QI projects included two categories: nurse barriers to enacting patient participation in bedside handover; and involving patients in beside handover. Once segregated findings were configured, we discovered that the patient's role in bedside handover involves contributing clinical information related to their care or progress, which may influence patient safety. Barriers related to nurses' discomfort encouraging patient participation and worries for sharing confidential and sensitive information. The way nurses approach patients, and how patient-centred they are, constitute further potential barriers. Strategies to improve patient participation in handover include training nurses, making handovers predictable for patients and increasing the interpersonal approach during handover.

CONCLUSIONS

Using research and QI projects allowed diverse findings to expand each other and identify gaps between research and heuristic knowledge. Our review showed the tension between standardising handovers and making them predictable for patient participation, while promoting tailored and flexible handovers. Further investigation of this issue is required, to understand how to train nurses to achieve this and prepare patients to do this. Many barriers and strategies identified were from QI projects and the nurse perspective, thus caution interpreting results is required. We recommend steps be taken in the future to ensure high quality QI projects.

Observations of nursing staff compliance to a checklist for person-centred handovers - a quality improvement project

Nursing shift‐to‐shift handovers are important as they impact the care quality indicators such as safety, patient satisfaction and continuity. However, nurses’ handovers have also been criticised and described as unstructured and ineffective. To improve the handovers and involve patients and their loved ones in the process, a person‐centred handover (PCH) model performed at bedside has been developed and tested at Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden. This study reports on the nursing staffs’ compliance to a checklist used for the newly introduced PCH model. A total of 43 PCH sessions were observed at two acute care wards, using a structured observation protocol. None of the observed handover sessions included all the 13 PCH checklist subcomponents. The checklist was used in 18 (44%) of the observed handover sessions. A statistically significant higher number of subcomponents were observed when the nurses used the PCH checklist (6.4 vs. 4.5 subcomponents, p < 0.05). The mean time spent on each PCH was 6 minutes. In 56% of the sessions, the patients were observed to actively participate in the handover. Overall, the nursing staffs’ compliance to the PCH checklist needs to be improved. The observations suggest that training on communication‐oriented tasks would be beneficial to establish a person‐centred handover process.

Patient participation in the clinical pathway-Nurses' perceptions of adults' involvement in haemodialysis

AIM

To develop knowledge of nurses' perceptions of participation for patients treated with haemodialysis and their next of kin.

DESIGN

A qualitative study with a hermeneutic approach.

METHODS

The data were collected in 2015 through focus groups with 13 nurses in Central Norway.

RESULTS

The nurses reported that patient participation ranging from non-involvement to shared decision-making was related to whether dialysis was initiated as acute or scheduled. The restrictions required in chronic haemodialysis limited participation. The next of kin were not involved. The nurses highlighted interventions on both the individual and system levels to strengthen participation.

CONCLUSION

Dialysis units should develop strategies for participation related to individual needs and design treatment in cooperation with patients and their families, ensuring involvement early in the clinical pathway. Further research is needed on issues related to next of kin, including their desired level of involvement.

Patient Participation in Patient Safety and Its Relationships with Nurses' Patient-Centered Care Competency, Teamwork, and Safety Climate

PURPOSE

This study's aim was to examine degrees of patient participation in patient safety activities in hospitals and to investigate their relationships with nurses' patient-centered care competency (PCC), teamwork, and safety climate.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were collected with 479 nurses from two general hospitals in Seoul, Korea, using a questionnaire designed to collect data on patient participation in patient safety activities, PCC, teamwork perceptions, and safety climate. The response rate was 74.1% (N = 355). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The mean score for patient participation was 2.76 ± 0.46 of 4.0. The mean scores for PCC, teamwork, and safety climate were 3.61 ± 0.46, 3.64 ± 0.41, and 3.35 ± 0.57 of 5.0, respectively. Nurses who experienced high patient participation in patient safety activities (≥ 3.0) had higher scores for PCC, teamwork, and safety climate. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that PCC (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.14-4.70) and safety climate (OR = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.09-5.78) scores were the significant factors associated with patient participation.

CONCLUSION

The degree of patient participation in patient safety activities was not high. Nurses' PCC, teamwork, and safety climate were positively related with patient participation. In particular, the findings indicate that enhancing nurses' competency for patient-centered care and creating a strong safety climate are important to promote patient participation for safer health care.

Leaders' limitations and approaches to creating conditions for interaction and communication in parental groups: A qualitative study

The aim of this study was to describe and understand parental group (PG) leaders' experiences of creating conditions for interaction and communication. The data consisted of 10 interviews with 14 leaders. The transcribed interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that the leaders' ambition was to create a parent-centred learning environment by establishing conditions for interaction and communication between the parents in the PGs. However, the leaders' experience was that their professional competencies were insufficient and that they lacked pedagogical tools to create constructive group discussions. Nevertheless, they found other ways to facilitate interactive processes. Based on their experience in the PG, the leaders constructed informal socio-emotional roles for themselves (e.g. caring role and personal role) and let their more formal task roles (e.g. professional role, group leader and consulting role) recede into the background, so as to remove the imbalance of power between the leaders and the parents. They believed this would make the parents feel more confident and make it easier for them to start communicating and interacting. This personal approach places them in a vulnerable position in the PG, in which it is easy for them to feel offended by parents' criticism, questioning or silence.

The decision partner in healthcare decision-making: A concept analysis

BACKGROUND

The decision partner concept emerged to describe someone who contributes to healthcare decision-making with a patient. There is a need for greater precision and consensus surrounding its conceptual definition and use in broader populations.

OBJECTIVE

To define and describe the decision partner concept within the context of healthcare decision-making.

DESIGN

A concept analysis.

DATA SOURCES

We searched the following databases for articles published between 1990-2017: PsychINFO, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. We included qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods studies that used the term decision partner in the context of healthcare decision-making.

METHODS

We applied the Walker and Avant method to identify the antecedents, attributes, related concepts, consequences, and empirical referents of the concept, with major themes identified.

RESULTS

From the 112 articles included in this concept analysis, 6 defining attributes of decision partner were identified: (1) has a relationship with the patient, (2) demonstrates a willingness to participate in decision-making, (3) articulates a clear understanding of both the patient's health condition and the decisions that must be made, (4) demonstrates decision-making self-efficacy; (5) exemplifies an emotional capacity to participate in decision-making, and (6) willing to fulfill several supportive roles including patient advocate and the "hub of information".

CONCLUSIONS

A unifying definition and discussion of the decision partner concept has been developed. Our findings: (1) offer insights into refining the concept across various diseases and healthcare encounters, (2) contribute to developing theoretical models and empirical research to refine antecedents, attributes, consequences, (3) serve as a foundation to develop instruments to measure the concept and (4) highlight the need to design interventions that include and support decision partners in healthcare decision-making.

Barriers in achieving patient participation in the critical care unit

OBJECTIVES

Patient participation in healthcare is important for optimizing treatment outcomes and for ensuring satisfaction with care. Therefore, this study aims to identify barriers to patient participation in the critical care unit, as identified by critical care nurses.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS

Qualitative data were collected in four focus group interviews with 17 nurses from two separate hospitals. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

FINDINGS

The results show three main categories: nurse's attitude toward caring, the organization of the critical care unit and the patient's health condition.

CONCLUSION

Barriers for patient participation in the ICU were found and this lead to a power imbalance between patient and nurse. In contrast to other care settings, this imbalance could be a consequence of the critical care organization and its degree of highly specialized care. The clinical application of our results is that these barriers should be considered when implementing patient participation in such a highly technological care situation as a critical care unit.

Patients’ perceptions of participation: Pilot validation study of the FI-PPRQ questionnaire in Finnish primary healthcare settings

Patient participation is is a highly valued goal within healthcare. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of a Finnish version of the Participation in Rehabilitation Questionnaire (FI-PPRQ) developed to measure patients’ perceptions of the importance and their experience of participation in care. The original PPRQ was translated from Swedish into Finnish, then subjected to psychometric pilot testing using data acquired in a cross-sectional survey with a sample of adult patients in eight primary healthcare units (n = 88). The importance and experience ratings were evaluated separately, by calculating distributions of item and scale scores, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, and correlations between items and scales. In addition, experience ratings were subjected to exploratory factor and multi-trait scaling analyses. The results of this study support the validity and reliability of the instrument for use in clinical settings to provide information about patient participation. However, further studies are needed with more varied settings.

Patients' narratives of their patient participation in the myocardial infarction pathway

AIM

To explore how patients in areas without local percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) facilities experience patient participation in different phases of the myocardial infarction pathway.

BACKGROUND

Acute treatment of myocardial infarction often involves PCI. In Norway, this treatment is centralized at certain hospitals; thus, patients often require long-distance transportation and experience frequent hospital transfers. Short hospital stays, transfers between hospitals and the patient's emotional state pose challenges to promoting patient participation.

DESIGN

A qualitative design with a narrative approach.

METHODS

Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Eight men and two women were interviewed in 2016.

FINDINGS

Four themes related to the patients' experiences at the beginning, middle and end of the pathway were identified: (a) Lack of verbal communication in the acute phase; (b) trust in healthcare professionals and treatment; (c) lack of participation and coordination at discharge; and (d) shared decision-making in rehabilitation. The findings showed how the patients moved from a low level of patient participation in the acute phase to a high level of patient participation in the rehabilitation phase.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study to explore patient participation in different phases of the myocardial infarction pathway. We argue that individual plans for information and patient participation are important to improve patient involvement in an earlier stage of the pathway. Further research from a healthcare professional perspective can be valuable to understand this topic.

IMPACT

This study gives new insight that can be valuable for healthcare professionals in implementing patient participation throughout the pathway.

An integrative review exploring the perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals towards patient involvement in promoting hand hygiene compliance in the hospital setting

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To review patients' and healthcare professionals' perceptions of patient involvement in promoting hand hygiene compliance in the hospital setting.

BACKGROUND

Initiatives continue to emphasise the importance of involving patients in their safety at the point of care. A patient-centred care approach aimed to empower patients to become active members of the healthcare team. However, understanding the perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals of patient involvement in promoting hand hygiene compliance among healthcare professionals has yet to be fully explored.

DESIGN

Integrative literature review.

METHODS

A five-stage review process informed by Whittemore and Knafl's methodology was conducted. MEDLINE and CINAHL were searched for papers published between January 2009-July 2017. Data were extracted manually, organised using NVivo 11 and analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

From an identified 240 papers, 19 papers were included in this review. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes with three related subthemes. Patients were willing to remind healthcare professionals (especially nurses) to wash their hands, healthcare professionals perception towards patients' involvement varied from one study to another. However, an overall positive attitude towards patient involvement was related to how patients asked and how healthcare professionals responded to being asked.

CONCLUSION

There is limited evidence regarding patients' actual intention to ask healthcare professionals to wash their hands, and some evidence that patients are reluctant to do so. Further research is required to understand this area thoroughly, including which situations patients would feel more empowered to speak up.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Simple messages promoting patient involvement may lead to complex reactions in both patients and healthcare professionals. It is unclear, yet how patients and staff react to such messages in clinical practice. There is a need for a deeper understanding of how they can work together to support harm free care.

The significance of patient participation in nursing care - a concept analysis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to report on a concept analysis of the meaning of patients' participation. Participation is commonplace in many areas of health care and has become an important issue in healthcare services. Participation is essential when giving nursing care. Challenges exist throughout clinical practice to make the patient a participant in their own care. The study had a caring science perspective.

METHOD

A literature study based on Walker and Avant's method was used with eight steps. Data were collected using several databases covering the years 1995-2017. The analysis covered fifteen articles, dissertations, reports and textbooks.

FINDINGS

Patients' participation may be defined as a concept that relates to and includes the three caring science concepts: learning, caring relationship and reciprocity (defining attributes).

CONCLUSION

Participation is a concept with vague meaning that is prevalent in nursing practice. Patients' participation is a complex concept. By using the attributes, it could be more visible in nursing care. The next question for research in this area is how these three attributes can best practically be achieved in a clinical context.

A Concept Analysis of Patient Participation in Intermediate Care

OBJECTIVE

Although the concept of patient participation has been discussed for a number of years, there is still no clear definition of what constitutes the multidimensional concept, and the application of the concept in an intermediate care (IC) context lacks clarity. Therefore this paper seeks to identify and explore the attributes of the concept, to elaborate ways of understanding the concept of patient participation for geriatric patients in the context of IC.

METHODS

Walker and Avant's model of Concept analysis [1] based on a literature review.

RESULTS

Patient participation in the context of IC can be defined as a dynamic process emphasizing the person as a whole, focusing on the establishment of multiple alliances that facilitate individualized information and knowledge exchange, and ensuring a reciprocal engagement in activities within flexible and interactive/dynamic organizational structures.

CONCLUSION

Patient participation in IC means involving patients and their relatives in holistic interdisciplinary collaborative decision-making. The results highlight the complexity of patient participation and contribute to a greater understanding of the influence of organizational structure and management.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The present study may provide a practical framework for researchers, policy makers and health professionals to facilitate patient participation in IC services.

Patient participation during and after a self-management programme in primary healthcare - The experience of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chronic heart failure

OBJECTIVE

Patient participation is facilitated by patients' ability to take responsibility for and engage in health issues. Yet, there is limited research as to the promotion of these aspects of patient participation in long-term healthcare interactions. This paper describes patient participation as experienced by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic heart failure (CHF); the aim was to describe if and how a self-management programme in primary healthcare influenced patient participation.

METHODS

Patients who had participated in a self-management programme were interviewed in nine focus groups (36 patients). Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Patients described equality in personal interactions, opportunities to share and discuss, and a willingness to share and learn to facilitate patient participation in a self-management programme. Consequently, patient participation was promoted by a match between the individuals' personal traits and the context.

CONCLUSION

Features facilitating patient participation by means of sharing and assimilating knowledge and insights should be included in self-management programmes and in the care for patients with COPD and CHF.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

A self-management programme can complement regular primary care regarding enhanced understanding of one's disease and support patient participation and the patient's own resources in self-management.

Patient-Related Factors Associated with Adherence to Recommendations Made by a Fracture Liaison Service: A Mixed-Method Prospective Study

A Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) has been calculated to be a cost-effective model of care for patients with fragility fracture (FF). Cost-effectiveness can be achieved when adherence to bone health recommendations from FLS staff is high. This prospective study combined participants’ telephone longitudinal survey data (intervention group, n = 354) and interviews with 16 individuals from FLS in three health regions of the province of Quebec (Canada). Participants were recruited between January 2013 and April 2015. Regression models were fit to examine the relationship between participant-related factors and adherence at 12 months to osteoporosis medication, vitamin D supplementation, and participation in physical activity. Participants acknowledging FF as a consequence of osteoporosis were more likely to adhere to medication (odds ratio (OR) 2.5; p = 0.001) and vitamin D supplementation (OR 2.3; p = 0.01). Paradoxically, the same participants were less prone to engage in physical activity (OR 0.5, p = 0.01). Qualitative interviews suggested that feedback from FLS coordinators helped participants understand the underlying cause of their FF. This study highlighted the key roles of FLS staff in helping patients to recognize FF as a sign of underlying bone disease and encouraging adherence to care recommendations.

How patient participation is constructed in mental health care: a grounded theory study

AIM

The aim of the study was to explore how patient participation is constructed in social interaction processes between nurses, other health professionals and service users, and which structures provide a framework for the participation of service users in a psychiatric context?

METHODOLOGICAL DESIGN

Ten tape-recorded interviews of nurses and observations of interactions between nurses, other health professionals and service users reflected differing constructed views of patient participation. Charmaz's interpretation of the grounded theory method was used, and the data were analysed using constant comparative analysis.

ETHICAL ISSUES AND APPROVAL

The study was designed in accordance with the ethical principles of the Helsinki Declaration (1) and Danish law (2). Each study participant in the two psychiatric departments gave informed consent after verbal and written information.

FINDINGS

The articulation of patient participation emphasises the challenge between, on the one side, orientations of ethical care, and, on the other, paternalism and biomedicine. The core category was generated from four inter-related categories: (i) taking care of the individual needs; (ii) the service user as expert; and (iii) biomedicine, and (iv) paternalism, and their 13 subcategories.

CONCLUSIONS

This study illuminates the meaning of patient participation in a psychiatric context based on social interaction between nurses, other health professionals and service users. This can contribute to dealing with the challenges of incorporating patient participation as an ideology in all service users in a psychiatric context and is therefore important knowledge for health professionals.

Patient safety on psychiatric wards: A cross-sectional, multilevel study of factors influencing nurses' willingness to share power and responsibility with patients

The World Health Organization highlights the need for more patient participation in patient safety. In mental health care, psychiatric nurses are in a frontline position to support this evolution. The aim of the present study was to investigate the demographic and contextual factors that influence the willingness of psychiatric nurses to share power and responsibility with patients concerning patient safety. The patient participation culture tool for inpatient psychiatric wards was completed by 705 nurses employed in 173 psychiatric wards within 37 hospitals. Multilevel modelling was used to analyse the self-reported data. The acceptance of a role wherein nurses share power and responsibility with patients concerning patient safety is influenced by the nurses' sex, age, perceived competence, perceived support, and type of ward. To support nurses in fulfilling their role in patient participation, patient participation-specific basic and continuing education should be provided. Managers and supervisors should recognize and fulfil their facilitating role in patient participation by offering support to nurses. Special attention is needed for young nurses and nurses on closed psychiatric wards, because these particular groups report being less willing to accept a new role. Ward characteristics that restrict patient participation should be challenged so that these become more patient participation stimulating. More research is needed to explore the willingness and ability of psychiatric nurses to engage in collaborative safety management with patients who have specific conditions, such as suicidal ideation and emotional harm.

Patient contributions during primary care consultations for hypertension after self-reporting via a mobile phone self-management support system

OBJECTIVE

This paper reports on how the clinical consultation in primary care is performed under the new premises of patients' daily self-reporting and self-generation of data. The aim was to explore and describe the structure, topic initiation and patients' contributions in follow-up consultations after eight weeks of self-reporting through a mobile phone-based hypertension self-management support system.

DESIGN

A qualitative, explorative study design was used, examining 20 audio- (n = 10) and video-recorded (n = 10) follow-up consultations in primary care hypertension management, through interaction analysis. Clinical trials registry: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01510301.

SETTING

Four primary health care centers in Sweden.

SUBJECTS

Patients with hypertension (n = 20) and their health care professional (n = 7).

RESULTS

The consultations comprised three phases: opening, examination and closing. The most common topic was blood pressure (BP) put in relation to self-reported variables, for example, physical activity and stress. Topic initiation was distributed symmetrically between parties and BP talk was lifestyle-centered. The patients' contributed to the interpretation of BP values by connecting them to specific occasions, providing insights to the link between BP measurements and everyday life activities.

CONCLUSION

Patients' contribution through interpretations of BP values to specific situations in their own lives brought on consultations where the patient as a person in context became salient. Further, the patients' and health care professionals' equal contribution during the consultations showed actively involved patients. The mobile phone-based self-management support system can thus be used to support patient involvement in consultations with a person-centered approach in primary care hypertension management Key points   The clinical consultation is important to provide opportunities for patients to gain understanding of factors affecting high blood pressure, and for health care professionals to motivate and promote changes in life-style. This study shows that self-reporting as base for follow-up consultations in primary care hypertension management can support patients and professionals to equal participation in clinical consultations. Self-reporting combined with increased patient-health care professional interaction during follow-up consultations can support patients in understanding the blood pressure value in relation to their daily life. These findings implicate that the interactive mobile phone self-management support system has potential to support current transformations of patients as recipients of primary care, to being actively involved in their own health.

Patient Involvement in Geriatric Care - Results and Experiences from a Mixed Models Design Study within Project INTEGRATE

INTRODUCTION

Patient involvement is a core component of an integrated care approach. While the benefits and prerequisites of patient involvement have been described in general and additionally for some target populations, little is known about the views and experiences of older people regarding this matter.

METHODS

A study with a mixed-methods design was conducted to gain a better understanding about patient involvement in geriatric care. A questionnaire on shared decision-making was administered within a group of older adults in Germany. Additionally, 7 focus groups with health professionals and geriatric patients in Germany and Estonia were held to deepen the insight of the questionnaire and discussing experiences and barriers of patient involvement.

RESULTS

Older people without an actual medical problem expressed a significantly higher desire to participate in shared decisions than those requiring actual medical care. No significant differences could be found for the desire to be informed as part of the care process. No correlation between patients' desire and experiences on shared decision-making could be observed. In the focus groups, patients demanded a comprehensive and understandable information and education process while the health professionals' view was very task-specific. This conflict led to a loss of trust by the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a gap between patients' and health professionals' views on patient involvement in older people. The involvement process should therefore be comprehensive and should take into account different levels of health literacy.

Health Literacy and Participation Among Older Adult Patients With Heart Failure in Korean Culture

Introduction: In South Korea, approximately 40% of older adults are reported to have low health literacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between health literacy and patient participation among Korean older adults with heart failure. Method: This cross-sectional descriptive study involved 145 Korean patients at one prominent medical center in South Korea. The Korean Health Literacy Scale short form and the 13-item Perceived Involvement in Care Scale were administered between June and September, 2016. Results: Among participants (mean age = 71.30 years; 26.9% female), approximately 30% had poor health literacy. A significant correlation was observed between health literacy and participation scores ( r = .538, p < .01). Health literacy was the most important predictor of patient participation (β = .488, p < .001). Discussion: The results imply that effective knowledge acquisition may encourage greater patient participation. By identifying health literacy in Korean older adults, we can provide more culturally congruent health care by improving participation between providers and patients.

Patient preferences for participation in patient care and safety activities in hospitals

Background

Active patient participation is a patient safety priority for health care. Yet, patients and their preferences are less understood. The aim of the study was to explore hospitalised patients’ preferences on participation in their care and safety activities in Sweden.

Methods

Exploratory qualitative study. Data were collected over a four-month period in 2013 and 2014. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 patients who were admitted to one of four medical wards at a university hospital in Sweden. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Nine men and eleven women, whose median age was 72 years (range 22–89), were included in the study. Five themes emerged with the thematic analysis: endorsing participation; understanding enables participation; enacting patient safety by participation; impediments to participation; and the significance of participation. This study demonstrated that patients wanted to be active participants in their care and safety activities by having a voice and being a part of the decision-making process, sharing information and possessing knowledge about their conditions. These factors were all enablers for patient participation. However, a number of barriers hampered participation, such as power imbalances, lack of patient acuity and patient uncertainty. Patients’ participation in care and patient safety activities seemed to determine whether patients were feeling safe or ignored.

Conclusion

This study contributes to the existing literature with fundamental evidence of patients’ willingness to participate in care and safety activities. Promoting patient participation begins by understanding the patients’ unique preferences and needs for care, establishing a good relationship and paying attention to each patient’s ability to participate despite their illness.

Patient participation in nursing bedside handover: A systematic mixed-methods review

BACKGROUND

Numerous reviews of nursing handover have been undertaken, but none have focused on the patients' role.

OBJECTIVES

To explore how patient participation in nursing shift-to-shift bedside handover can be enacted.

DESIGN

Systematic mixed- methods review.

DATA SOURCES

Three search strategies were undertaken in July-August 2016: database searching, backwards citation searching and forward citation searching. To be included, papers had to either be research or quality improvement (QI) projects focusing on the patient role. Fifty-four articles were retrieved, including 21 studies and 25 QI projects.

REVIEW METHODS

Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal was undertaken systematically by two reviewers. Research studies and QI projects were synthesised separately using thematic synthesis, then the results of this synthesis were combined using a mixed-method synthesis table.

RESULTS

Segregated synthesis of research of patients' perceptions revealed two contrasting categories; patient-centred handover and nurse-centred handover. Segregated synthesis of research of nurses' perceptions included three categories: viewing the patient as an information resource; dealing with confidential and sensitive information; and enabling patient participation. The segregated synthesis of QI projects included two categories: nurse barrier to enacting patient participation in bedside handover; and involving patients in beside handover. Once segregated findings were configured, we discovered that the patient's role in bedside handover involves contributing clinical information related to their care or progress, which may influence patient safety. Barriers related to nurses' concerns for the consequences of encouraging patient participation, worries for sharing confidential and sensitive information and feeling hesitant in changing their handover methods. The way nurses approach patients, and how patient-centred they are, constitute further potential barriers. Strategies to improve patient participation in handover include training nurses, making handovers predictable for patients and involving both patients and nurses throughout the change process.

CONCLUSIONS

Using research and QI projects allowed diverse findings to expand each other and identify gaps between research and heuristic knowledge. Our review showed the tension between standardising handovers and making them predictable for patient participation, while promoting tailored and flexible handovers. Further investigation of this issue is required, to understand how to train nurses and patient views. Many barriers and strategies identified were from QI projects and the nurse perspective, thus caution interpreting results is required. We recommend steps be taken in the future to ensure high quality QI projects.

The Influence of Nurses' Demographics on Patient Participation in Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Patient participation is an important issue in contemporary healthcare as it improves quality of care and enhances positive health outcomes. The participation of patients is mainly initiated by the nurses' willingness to share their power and responsibility, but knowledge on nurses' demographic characteristics influencing this behavior is nonexistent. This knowledge is essential to understand and improve patient participation.

AIM

To determine if nurses' demographic characteristics influence their willingness to engage in patient participation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional multicenter study in 22 general and three university hospitals with 997 nurses was performed. The Patient Participation Culture Tool for healthcare workers, which measures patient participation behavior, was used. Multilevel analysis, taking into account the difference in wards and hospitals, was used to identify the influence of demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

A position as supervisor (range: p < .001-.028) and a higher level of education (range: p = <.001-.012) show significant higher scores. Younger nurses seem to be more reluctant in accepting a collaborative patient role (p = .002) and coping with more active patient behavior (p < .001). This new role was less accepted by nurses on geriatric wards (p = .013), who also showed less sharing of information with their patients (p < .001).

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

Age and level of education influence nurses' willingness to share power and responsibility with their patients, perhaps indicating that patient participation behavior is an advanced nursing skill and multifaceted interventions, are needed for optimal implementation. Moreover, supervising nurses have different perceptions on patient participation and possibly regard patient participation as an easier task than their team members. This could lead to misunderstandings about the expectations toward patient participation in daily practice, leading to struggles with their nursing staff. Both findings implicate that implementing patient participation on a wide scale is more difficult than expected, which is conflicting with the widespread societal demand for more participation.

Adherence to evidence-based pressure injury prevention guidelines in routine clinical practice: a longitudinal study

The aim of this longitudinal study was to describe adherence to evidence-based pressure injury (PI) prevention guidelines in routine clinical practice in Australian hospitals. Data were analysed from four control sites of a larger-cluster randomised trial of a PI intervention. The sample of 799 included 220 (27·5%) Not at risk, 344 (43·1%) At risk and 110 (13·8%) At high risk patients. A total of 84 (10·5%) patients developed a PI during the study: 20 (9·0% of 220) in the Not at risk group, 45 (13·1% of 344) in the At risk group, 15 (13·6% of 110) in the At high risk group and 4 (3·2% of 125) patients who did not have a risk assessment completed. Of all patients, 165 (20·7%) received only one PI prevention strategy, and 494 (61·8%) received ≥2 strategies at some point during the study period. There was no statistical difference in the proportion of time the three risk groups received ≥1 and ≥2 strategies; on average, this was less than half the time they were in the study. Thus, patients were not receiving PI prevention strategies consistently throughout their hospital stay, although it is possible patients' risk changed over the study period.

The realities of partnership in person-centred care: a qualitative interview study with patients and professionals

OBJECTIVE

Although conceptual definitions of person-centred care (PCC) vary, most models value the involvement of patients through patient-professional partnerships. While this may increase patients' sense of responsibility and control, research is needed to further understand how this partnership is created and perceived. This study aims to explore the realities of partnership as perceived by patients and health professionals in everyday PCC practice.

DESIGN

Qualitative study employing a thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with professionals and patients.

SETTING

Four internal medicine wards and two primary care centres in western Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS

16 health professionals based at hospital wards or primary care centres delivering person-centred care, and 20 patients admitted to one of the hospital wards.

RESULTS

Our findings identified both informal and formal aspects of partnership. Informal aspects, emerging during the interaction between healthcare professionals and patients, without any prior guidelines or regulations, incorporated proximity and receptiveness of professionals and building a close connection and confidence. This epitomised a caring, respectful relationship congruent across accounts. Formal aspects, including structured ways of sustaining partnership were experienced differently. Professionals described collaborating with patients to encourage participation, capture personal goals, plan and document care. However, although patients felt listened to and informed, they were content to ask questions and felt less involved in care planning, documentation or exploring lifeworld goals. They commonly perceived participation as informed discussion and agreement, deferring to professional knowledge and expertise in the presence of an empathetic and trusting relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, patients appear to value a process of human connectedness above and beyond formalised aspects of documenting agreed goals and care planning. PCC increases patients' confidence in professionals who are competent and able to make them feel safe and secure. Informal elements of partnership provide the conditions for communication and cooperation on which formal relations of partnership can be constructed.

Hospital staffs' perceptions of an electronic program to engage patients in nutrition care at the bedside: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Advancements in technology are enabling patients to participate in their health care through self-monitoring and self-management of diet, exercise and chronic disease. Technologies allowing patients to participate in hospital care are still emerging but show promise. Our team is developing a program by which hospitalised patients can participate in their nutrition care. This study explores hospital staffs' perceptions of using this technology to engage patients in their care.

METHODS

This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with hospital staff providing routine nutrition care to patients (i.e. dietitians, nutrition assistants, nurses, doctors and foodservice staff) from five wards at a tertiary metropolitan teaching hospital in Australia. The hospital currently uses an electronic foodservice system (EFS) for patient meal ordering, accessed through personal screens at the bedside. Participants were shown the EFS program on an iPad and asked about their perceptions of the program, with questions from a semi-structured interview guide. Staff were interviewed individually or in small focus groups. Interviews lasted 15-30 min and were audio recorded and later transcribed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Nineteen staff participated in interviews. Overall, they expressed positive views of the EFS program and wanted it to be implemented in practice. Their responses formed three themes, each with a number of subthemes: 1) Enacting patient participation in practice; 2) Optimising nutrition care; and 3) Considerations for implementing an EFS program in practice. Staff thought the program would improve various aspects of nutrition care and enable patient participation in care. Whilst they raised some concerns, they focused on overcoming barriers and facilitating implementation if the program were to be adopted into practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff found an EFS program designed to engage patients in their nutrition care acceptable, as they saw benefits to using it for both patients and staff. Staff recognised characteristics of the program itself, as well as allocation of roles and responsibilities in operationalising it, were pivotal for successful implementation in practice. Their perspectives will inform program and intervention design, and implementation and evaluation strategies.

Using technology to engage hospitalised patients in their care: a realist review

BACKGROUND

Patient participation in health care is associated with improved outcomes for patients and hospitals. New technologies are creating vast potential for patients to participate in care at the bedside. Several studies have explored patient use, satisfaction and perceptions of health information technology (HIT) interventions in hospital. Understanding what works for whom, under what conditions, is important when considering interventions successfully engaging patients in care. This realist review aimed to determine key features of interventions using bedside technology to engage hospital patients in their care and analyse these in terms of context, mechanisms and outcomes.

METHODS

A realist review was chosen to explain how and why complex HIT interventions work or fail within certain contexts. The review was guided by Pawson's realist review methodology, involving: clarifying review scope; searching for evidence; data extraction and evidence appraisal; synthesising evidence and drawing conclusions. Author experience and an initial literature scope provided insight and review questions and theories (propositions) around why interventions worked were developed and iteratively refined. A purposive search was conducted to find evidence to support, refute or identify further propositions, which formed an explanatory model. Each study was 'mined' for evidence to further develop the propositions and model.

RESULTS

Interactive learning was the overarching theme of studies using technology to engage patients in their care. Several propositions underpinned this, which were labelled: information sharing; self-assessment and feedback; tailored education; user-centred design; and support in use of HIT. As studies were mostly feasibility or usability studies, they reported patient-centred outcomes including patient acceptability, satisfaction and actual use of HIT interventions. For each proposition, outcomes were proposed to come about by mechanisms including improved communication, shared decision-making, empowerment and self-efficacy; which acted as facilitators to patient participation in care. Overall, there was a stronger representation of health than IT disciplines in studies reviewed, with a lack of IT input in terms of theoretical underpinning, methodological design and reporting of outcomes.

CONCLUSION

HIT interventions have great potential for engaging hospitalised patients in their care. However, stronger interdisciplinary collaboration between health and IT researchers is needed for effective design and evaluation of HIT interventions.