Conditions for Patient Participation and Non-Participation in Health Care

This study explored patients' experiences of participation and non-participation in their health care. A questionnaire-based survey method was used. Content analysis showed that conditions for patient participation occurred when information was provided not by using standard procedures but based on individual needs and accompanied by explanations, when the patient was regarded as an individual, when the patient's knowledge was recognized by staff, and when the patient made decisions based on knowledge and needs, or performed self-care. Thus, to provide conditions for true patient participation, professionals need to recognize each patient's unique knowledge and respect the individual's description of his or her situation rather than just inviting the person to participate in decision making.

Experiences of parenting a child with medical complexity in need of acute hospital care

Parents of children with medical complexity have described being responsible for providing advanced care for the child. When the child is acutely ill, they must rely on the health-care services during short or long periods of hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to describe parental experiences of caring for their child with medical complexity during hospitalization for acute deterioration, specifically focussing on parental needs and their experiences of the attitudes of staff. Data were gathered through individual interviews and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The care period can be interpreted as a balancing act between acting as a caregiver and being in need of care. The parents needed skilled staff who could relieve them of medical responsibility, but they wanted to be involved in the care and in the decisions taken. They needed support, including relief, in order to meet their own needs and to be able to take care of their children. It was important that the child was treated with respect in order for the parent to trust the staff. An approach where staff view parents and children as a single unit, as recipients of care, would probably make the situation easier for these parents and children.

Growth data of underprivileged children living in rural areas of Chin State, Burma/Myanmar, compared to the WHO reference growth standards: an observational study

OBJECTIVES

To explore growth data (height-for-age, weight-for-age and BMI-for-age) of children living in poor socioeconomic conditions in rural areas of Chin State, Burma/Myanmar; and to compare these data with the growth and development z-score (GDZ) values for school-aged children and adolescents, provided by the WHO.

SETTING

A support and educational programme, run by the Swedish association Chin Development and Research Society (CDRS), was carried out among underprivileged school-aged children, unable to attend school without economic and practical support, living in villages and remote areas in Chin State.

PARTICIPANTS

Community leaders who were well familiar with the citizens in the community identified children in need of this support. Other community members could also suggest or apply for this. The sample includes all participating children in the CDRS programme at the time of the data collection in six townships. The children were placed in host families, close to a suitable school. Two samples with a total of 639 children from 144 villages and remote areas were obtained:1. Children in the CDRS Chin Programme (CCP) (2007-2010) comprised 558 children: 50% girls and boys.2. Children in the Chin Society (CCS) (2010) comprised 81 children: 44% girls and 56% boys.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Growth data.

RESULTS

All growth data from both groups deviated significantly from the WHO standard references (p ≤ 0.001). The prevalence of stunting (height-for-age ≤-2SD) was 52% among girls and 68% among boys. High levels of wasting (weight-for-age ≤-2SD) were found among girls 29% and boys 36% aged 5-10 years. In addition, severe thinness (BMI-for-age ≤-2SD) was found among girls 31% and boys 44%, all results to be compared to the expected 2.27%.

CONCLUSIONS

Many more than expected-according to the WHO reference values-in CCP and CCS suffered from stunting, wasting and thinness.

The development and initial validation of a clinical tool for patients' preferences on patient participation--The 4Ps

AIMS

To report on the development and initial testing of a clinical tool, The Patient Preferences for Patient Participation tool (The 4Ps), which will allow patients to depict, prioritize, and evaluate their participation in health care.

BACKGROUND

While patient participation is vital for high quality health care, a common definition incorporating all stakeholders' experience is pending. In order to support participation in health care, a tool for determining patients' preferences on participation is proposed, including opportunities to evaluate participation while considering patient preferences.

METHODS

Exploratory mixed methods studies informed the development of the tool, and descriptive design guided its initial testing. The 4Ps tool was tested with 21 Swedish researcher experts (REs) and patient experts (PEs) with experience of patient participation. Individual Think Aloud interviews were employed to capture experiences of content, response process, and acceptability.

RESULTS

'The 4Ps' included three sections for the patient to depict, prioritize, and evaluate participation using 12 items corresponding to 'Having Dialogue', 'Sharing Knowledge', 'Planning', and 'Managing Self-care'. The REs and PEs considered 'The 4Ps' comprehensible, and that all items corresponded to the concept of patient participation. The tool was perceived to facilitate patient participation whilst requiring amendments to content and layout.

CONCLUSIONS

A tool like The 4Ps provides opportunities for patients to depict participation, and thus supports communication and collaboration. Further patient evaluation is needed to understand the conditions for patient participation. While The 4Ps is promising, revision and testing in clinical practice is required.

The experiences of using a computerized decision support system

The aim was to describe the facilitators and barriers influencing the ability of nursing personnel to effectively use a CDSS for planning and treating pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes. Usability evaluations and group interviews were conducted. Facilitators were ease of use, usefulness and a supportive work environment. Lack of training, resistance to using computers and limited integration of the CDSS with the electronic health record system were reported.

Information transfer and continuity of care for stroke patients with eating difficulties from the perspectives of nursing staff in Swedish elderly care

Continuity of care is a key issue in the care for elderly people, for example, those having experienced stroke, particularly with regards to informational and managerial continuity based on patient record data. The study aim was to explore municipal nursing staff's (n=30) perceptions of discharge information provided to them for stroke patients with eating difficulties. Structured interviews were used and data were analysed by content analysis and descriptive statistics. Results showed that nursing staff perceived informational continuity and accuracy of information on patients' eating difficulties as poor and that little information on eating difficulties reached licensed practical nurses, who instead relied on their own assessments of patients' eating ability. Co-ordinated care planning and management continuity were largely lacking, increasing the risk for undernutrition and related complications for the patients.

Accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness of information on pressure ulcers recorded in the patient record

AIM

To describe the accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness of information on pressure ulcers documented in patient records.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A cross-sectional descriptive study performed in 29 wards at a university hospital in Iceland. The study included skin assessment of patients and retrospective audits of records of patients identified with pressure ulcers.

PARTICIPANTS

A sample of 219 patients was inspected for signs of pressure ulcers on 1 day in 2008. Records of patients identified with pressure ulcers were audited (n = 45) retrospectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of pressure ulcers was 21%. Information in patient records lacked accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness. Only 60% of the identified pressure ulcers were documented in the patient records. The lack of accuracy was most prevalent for stage I pressure ulcers.

CONCLUSIONS

The purpose of documentation to record, communicate and support the flow of information in the patient record was not met. The patient records lacked accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness, which can jeopardise patient safety, continuity and quality of care. The information on pressure ulcers in patient records was found not to be a reliable source for the evaluation of quality in health care. To improve accuracy, completeness and comprehensiveness of data in the patient record, a systematic risk assessment for pressure ulcers and assessment and treatment of existing pressure ulcers based on evidence-based guidelines need to be implemented and recorded in clinical practice. Health information technology, including the electronic health record with decision support, has shown promising results to facilitate and improve documentation of pressure ulcers.

An evaluation of the usability of a computerized decision support system for nursing homes

BACKGROUND

Computerized decision support systems (CDSSs) have the potential to significantly improve the quality of nursing care of older people by enhancing the decision making of nursing personnel. Despite this potential, health care organizations have been slow to incorporate CDSSs into nursing home practices.

OBJECTIVE

This study describes facilitators and barriers that impact the ability of nursing personnel to effectively use a clinical CDSS for planning and treating pressure ulcers (PUs) and malnutrition and for following the suggested risk assessment guidelines for the care of nursing home residents.

METHODS

We employed a qualitative descriptive design using varied methods, including structured group interviews, cognitive walkthrough observations and a graphical user interface (GUI) usability evaluation. Group interviews were conducted with 25 nursing personnel from four nursing homes in southern Norway. Five nursing personnel participated in cognitive walkthrough observations and the GUI usability evaluation. Text transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Group interview participants reported that ease of use, usefulness and a supportive work environment were key facilitators of CDSS use. The barriers identified were lack of training, resistance to using computers and limited integration of the CDSS with the facility's electronic health record (EHR) system. Key findings from the usability evaluation also identified the difficulty of using the CDSS within the EHR and the poorly designed GUI integration as barriers.

CONCLUSION

Overall, we found disconnect between two types of nursing personnel. Those who were comfortable with computer technology reported positive feedback about the CDSS, while others expressed resistance to using the CDSS for various reasons. This study revealed that organizations must invest more resources in educating nursing personnel on the seriousness of PUs and poor nutrition in the elderly, providing specialized CDSS training and ensuring that nursing personnel have time in the workday to use the CDSS.

Effects of a computerized decision support system on pressure ulcers and malnutrition in nursing homes for the elderly

BACKGROUND

Computerized decision support systems (CDSSs) have been shown to help health care professionals to avoid errors and improve clinical practice and efficiency in health care. Little is known about its influence on nursing practice and outcomes for residents in nursing homes.

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on the risk for and prevalence of pressure ulcers (PUs) and malnutrition of implementing a CDSS to improve prevention and care of PUs and also to improve nutrition in the elderly in nursing homes.

DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The study used a quasi-experimental design with two intervention groups and one control group. A convenience sample of residents from 46 units in 15 nursing homes in rural areas in Norway was included. A total of 491 residents participated at baseline in 2007 and 480 residents at follow-up in 2009.

METHODS

The intervention included educational sessions in prevention of PUs and malnutrition for registered nurses (RNs) and nursing aides (NAs) in the two intervention groups. In addition, one intervention group (intervention group 1) had a CDSS integrated into the electronic healthcare record (EHR) based on two research-based risk assessment instruments: the Risk Assessment Pressure Scale (RAPS) for PU risk screening and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA(®)) scale for screening nutritional status. In each participating nursing home trained RNs and NAs examined all residents who consented to participate on the RAPS and the MNA(®) scale. This examination included a skin assessment and details about PUs were collected.

RESULTS

The proportion of malnourished residents decreased significantly in intervention group 1 between the two data collection periods (2007 and 2009). No other significant effects of the CDSS on resident outcomes based on the RAPS and MNA(®) scores were found.

CONCLUSION

CDSSs used by RNs and NAs in nursing homes are still largely unexplored. A CDSS can be incorporated into the EHR to increase the meaningful use of these computerized systems in nursing home care. The effects of CDSS on healthcare provider workflow, clinical decision making and communication about preventive measures in nursing home practice still need further exploration. Based on results from our study, recommendations would be to increase both sample size and the number of RNs and NAs who participate in CDSS education programs.

The Postoperative Recovery Profile (PRP) - a multidimensional questionnaire for evaluation of recovery profiles

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The previously developed Postoperative Recovery Profile (PRP) questionnaire is intended for self-assessment of general recovery after surgery. The aim of this study was to further evaluate the questionnaire regarding the construct validity and ability to discriminate recovery profiles between groups. Furthermore, the item variables of greatest importance during the progress of recovery were investigated.

METHODS

Post-operative recovery was assessed during the period from discharge to 12 months after lower abdominal and orthopaedic surgery. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the assessments from the PRP questionnaire and a global recovery scale. Recovery profiles of the diagnose groups were displayed by the cumulative proportion recovered participants over time. The importance of item variables was investigated by ranking ordering.

RESULTS

A total of 158 patients were included. Support was given for good construct validity. The result showed that 7.6% of all possible pairs were disordered when comparing the assessments from the PRP questionnaire and the global recovery scale. Twelve months after discharge the PRP assessments discriminated significantly the recovery profiles of the abdominal and orthopaedic groups. The variable pain was one of the top five most important issues at each follow-up occasion in both study groups. The importance of the item variables was thereby emphasized.

CONCLUSIONS

The PRP questionnaire allows for evaluation of the progress of post-operative recovery, and can be useful to assess patient-reported recovery after surgical treatment both on individual and group levels. Knowledge about recovery profiles can assist clinicians in determining the critical time points for measuring change.

Development of a questionnaire to measure patient-reported postoperative recovery: content validity and intra-patient reliability

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

In this study we describe the development of a short, easy-to-use questionnaire to measure postoperative recovery and evaluate its content validity and intra-patient reliability. The questionnaire is designed to evaluate the progress of postoperative recovery and the long-term follow-up of possible effects of interventions during recovery.

METHODS

The study involved four steps. (1) A conceptualization and item definitions were based on a theoretical framework and a description of patients' postoperative recovery from the perspective of patients, registered nurses and surgeons; (2) Content validity of items was tested through expert judgements; (3) A test run of the questionnaire was performed to confirm its feasibility and workload requirement; and (4) The stability of the questionnaire was evaluated through intra-patient reliability assessment.

RESULTS

As a result of the operationalization process of the concept postoperative recovery, five dimensions (physical symptoms, physical functions, psychological, social, activity) and 19 items were identified. Each item was formulated as a statement in the questionnaire. Content validity was judged to be high. After the pre-test of the questionnaire a revision with refinements in the layout was made. The vast majority of items showed a high level of intra-patient reliability.

CONCLUSION

Based on a theoretical framework and empirical data, we developed a short and easy-to-use tentative questionnaire to measure patient-reported postoperative recovery. Initial support for content validity was established. The vast majority of items showed a high level of test-retest reliability.

Clinical decision-making: predictors of patient participation in nursing care

AIM

To investigate predictors of patients' preferences for participation in clinical decision-making in inpatient nursing care.

BACKGROUND

Patient participation in decision-making in nursing care is regarded as a prerequisite for good clinical practice regarding the person's autonomy and integrity.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey of 428 persons, newly discharged from inpatient care.

METHODS

The survey was conducted using the Control Preference Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used for testing the association of patient characteristics with preferences for participation.

RESULTS

Patients, in general, preferred adopting a passive role. However, predictors for adopting an active participatory role were the patient's gender (odds ratio = 1.8), education (odds ratio = 2.2), living condition (odds ratio = 1.8) and occupational status (odds ratio = 2.0). A probability of 53% was estimated, which female senior citizens with at least a high school degree and who lived alone would prefer an active role in clinical decision-making. At the same time, a working cohabiting male with less than a high school degree had a probability of 8% for active participation in clinical decision making in nursing care.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient preferences for participation differed considerably and are best elicited by assessment of the individual patient. Relevance to clinical practice. The nurses have a professional responsibility to act in such a way that patients can participate and make decisions according to their own values from an informed position. Access to knowledge of patients'basic assumptions and preferences for participation is of great value for nurses in the care process. There is a need for nurses to use structured methods and tools for eliciting individual patient preferences regarding participation in clinical decision-making.

Nursing informatics in Sweden - the agenda for the future

With the purpose of getting an overview of the current research and development in information systems and terminology for nursing practice and outline strategies for the future, an initiative for a workshop was taken at the national level in Sweden by the Section for Nursing Informatics, the Society of Nursing and the Association of Health Professionals in 2007. For the workshop around 30 nurses were invited, representing clinical practice, education, and research. The workshop resulted in recommendations for future strategies to support the development of nursing informatics in Sweden.

Clinical decision support systems to prevent and treat pressure ulcers and under-nutrition in nursing homes

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are believed to have the potential to improve care and change the behavior of health personnel. The project has focused on developing a CDSS to support prevention of pressure ulcer and undernutrition that is completely integrated in the electronic health record in nursing homes. Nursing staff have been involved in all phases in the development of the CDSS, which at present is ready to be implemented and systematically evaluated.

Considering patient non-participation in health care

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to depict patient non-participation as described by a diverse group with recent experiences of being patients.

BACKGROUND

Patient participation is regarded as a primary condition for optimal quality of care, suggesting that non-participation should be avoided. A common understanding of the concept of patient non-participation is needed. A discrepancy in definitions of patient non-participation has been found in health-care interactions, health-care classifications and health-care research, and little is known of what patient non-participation represents to patients.

STUDY DESIGN

A survey consisting of closed-ended and open-ended questions was administered to persons that had recently been patients to gather respondents' descriptions of what they considered as patient non-participation. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse free-text descriptions, and descriptive statistics were used for the close-ended alternatives.

FINDINGS

Lacking information (e.g. not being provided with appropriate information) and lacking recognition (e.g. not being listened to and/or lacking recognition as an individual with individual needs and concerns) were significant aspects of patient non-participation. Furthermore, non-participation encompassed facing organization-centred, as opposed to patient-centred, health care as well as feeling insecure in health care interactions.

CONCLUSION

The findings provide input for a better understanding of what patients experience as non-participation. Organising for the caregivers to be able to thoroughly listen to the patients' illness narratives would easily reduce the risk of patient's experiencing what is described as non-participation and would provide a sound base for patient learning needs.

Thinking strategies used by Registered Nurses during emergency department triage

AIM

This paper is a report of a study to describe and compare thinking strategies and cognitive processing in the emergency department triage process by Registered Nurses with high and low triage accuracy.

BACKGROUND

Sound clinical reasoning and accurate decision-making are integral parts of modern nursing practice and are of vital importance during triage in emergency departments. Although studies have shown that individual and contextual factors influence the decisions of Registered Nurses in the triage process, others have failed to explain the relationship between triage accuracy and clinical experience. Furthermore, no study has shown the relationship between Registered Nurses' thinking strategies and their triage accuracy.

METHOD

Using the 'think aloud' method, data were collected in 2004-2005 from 16 RNs working in Swedish emergency departments who had previously participated in a study examining triage accuracy. Content analysis of the data was performed.

FINDINGS

The Registered Nurses used a variety of thinking strategies, ranging from searching for information, generating hypotheses to stating propositions. They structured the triage process in several ways, beginning by gathering data, generating hypotheses or allocating acuity ratings. Comparison of participants' use of thinking strategies and the structure of the triage process based on their previous triage accuracy revealed only slight differences.

CONCLUSION

The wide range of thinking strategies used by Registered Nurses when performing triage indicates that triage decision-making is complex. Further research is needed to ascertain which skills are most important in triage decision-making.

Experiences of the postoperative recovery process: an interview study

Few researchers have described postoperative recovery from a broad, overall perspective. In this article the authors describe a study focusing on patient and staff experiences of postoperative recovery using a qualitative descriptive design to obtain a description of the phenomenon. They performed 10 individual interviews with patients who had undergone abdominal or gynecological surgery and 7 group interviews with registered nurses working on surgical and gynecological wards and in primary care centers, surgeons from surgical and gynecological departments, and in-patients from a gynecological ward. The authors analyzed data using qualitative content analysis. Postoperative recovery is described as a Dynamic Process in an Endeavour to Continue With Everyday Life. This theme was further highlighted by the categories Experiences of the core of recovery and Experiences of factors influencing recovery. Knowledge from this study will help caregivers support patients during their recovery from surgery.

Methodological issues in interviews involving people with communication impairments after acquired brain damage

Qualitative research has made a significant contribution to the body of knowledge related to how people experience living with various chronic diseases and disabilities; however, the voices of certain vulnerable populations, particularly those with impairments that affect their ability to communicate, are commonly absent. In recent years, a few researchers have attempted to explore the most effective ways to ensure that the voices of people with communication impairments from acquired brain damages can be captured in qualitative research interviews; yet several methodological issues related to including this population in qualitative research remained unexamined. In this article, the authors draw on insights derived from their research on the experiences of adult survivors of stroke and traumatic brain injury to describe methodological issues related to sampling, informed consent, and fatigue in participant and researcher while also making some recommendations for conducting qualitative interviews with these populations.

Putting policy into practice: pre- and posttests of implementing standardized languages for nursing documentation

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To describe the change in documentation of the nursing process in all inpatient wards in a 900-bed university hospital. Major research question was what are the differences between before and after implementation of documentation policy related to the steps of the nursing process?

BACKGROUND

Implementation of standardized languages has been shown to be difficult to accomplish in clinical practice. Patients are the source of data and their conditions, responses and well-being should be reflected in the nursing record. As such, nursing documentation can create the premises for the development of new knowledge in nursing and the improvement of nursing performance and can provide data and information necessary for nursing researchers to evaluate the quality of interventions and participate in the formulation of healthcare policy. This study is part of longitudinal project to prepare nurses for electronic documentation within the interdisciplinary health record and to improve documentation of nursing using standardized languages.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A cross-sectional study design was used: a pretest (n = 355 nursing records) for baseline status of nursing documentation, an intervention and a post-test (n = 349 nursing records) to obtain data on nursing documentation. The year-long intervention comprised planned work in groups, and educational and supporting efforts.

RESULTS

A statistically significant improvement was found in the use of Functional Health Patterns for documentation of nursing assessment, NANDA for nursing diagnoses and Nursing Interventions Classification for nursing interventions in documentation of daily nursing care for inpatients.

CONCLUSION

At all organizational levels intervention aimed at putting policy regarding documentation into clinical practice considerably improved daily use of standardized nursing languages. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses need to use standardized language to document patient care data in the electronic health record and to demonstrate contributions to nursing care.

An effort to use qualitative data analysis software for analysing think aloud data

The purpose of this paper is to describe how qualitative data analysis software was used in an attempt to manage and support a three-step protocol analysis of think aloud data in a study examining emergency nurses' reasoning during triage. The qualitative data analysis software program QSR NVivo was used to facilitate protocol analysis and to allow the identification and description of the information that 16 triage nurses concentrated on during triage, and how they structured this information to make a triage decision. The detailed description of how QSR NVivo was used for protocol analysis of think aloud data may assist and guide future informatics research using similar methodology. Finally, the experiences of the use of QSR NVivo for protocol analysis are discussed.

Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Part II. RNs? experience of nursing care for patients with COPD and impaired nutritional status

This study is the second part of a project with the main purpose of obtaining a deeper understanding of the consequences of living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) concerning meal-related situations and an impaired nutritional status. COPD is a slowly progressive lung disease that results in several complications, including malnutrition. Nutritional status is an important part of COPD treatment, and there are criteria recommended for nutritional assessment and interventions among patients with COPD. Despite this, patients with extreme malnutrition and unnoticed weight loss are reported. The aim of the study was to investigate how Registered Nurses (RNs) in primary care describe nutritional assessment practices and interventions in COPD patients with impaired nutritional status. An interview approach using semistructured questions and case vignettes was chosen. The sample included 19 RNs working specifically with COPD patients. Data from interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis, and nine categories corresponding to the aim were identified. The RNs reported that their assessment of nutritional status was based largely on intuition. Assessment also included detection of the patients' current beliefs and being sensible about information provision - When and How. Interventions were supportive eating interventions, practical and cognitive participation, and making patients aware of the illness trajectory. An overall category that influenced nursing was respecting patients' feelings of shame and guilt about a self-inflicted disease. It seems that RNs use intuition because of a lack of knowledge of systematic methods of nutritional assessment. The findings also indicate that the RNs attempted to build a relationship of trust with the patients rather than provide early information on sensitive topics (e.g. nutritional information). The study reports areas of nursing care for COPD patients that must be improved in the future.

What if nurses get what they have always sought: totally personalized care? Trends affecting nursing informatics

We may be moving towards an era where nurses may get what they say they have always wanted--totally personalized care. This paper examines four major trends, i.e. the increasing importance of the genome, the informed patient, the rise of the patient-payer, and the 'instant gratification generation'. Each individually, and in combination, will have potential impacts on the future of health and nursing. The implications of these issues, and others are explored, as well as nursing's readiness to deal with the implications of truly and totally personalized care.

Patient participation in clinical decision-making in nursing: a comparative study of nurses' and patients' perceptions

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to compare the degree of concordance between patients and Registered Nurses' perceptions of the patients' preferences for participation in clinical decision-making in nursing care. A further aim was to compare patients' experienced participation with their preferred participatory role.

BACKGROUND

Patient participation in clinical decision-making is valuable and has an effect on quality of care. However, there is limited knowledge about patient preferences for participation and how nurses perceive their patients' preferences.

METHODS

A comparative design was adopted with a convenient sample of 80 nurse-patient dyads. A modified version of the Control Preference Scale was used in conjunction with a questionnaire developed to elicit the experienced participation of the patient.

RESULTS

A majority of the Registered Nurses perceived that their patients preferred a higher degree of participation in decision-making than did the patients. Differences in patient preferences were found in relation to age and social status but not to gender. Patients often experienced having a different role than what was initially preferred, e.g. a more passive role concerning needs related to communication, breathing and pain and a more active role related to activity and emotions/roles.

CONCLUSIONS

Registered Nurses are not always aware of their patients' perspective and tend to overestimate patients' willingness to assume an active role. Registered Nurses do not successfully involve patients in clinical decision-making in nursing care according to their own perceptions and not even to the patients' more moderate preferences of participation.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

A thorough assessment of the individual's preferences for participation in decision-making seems to be the most appropriate approach to ascertain patient's involvement to the preferred level of participation. The categorization of patients as preferring a passive role, collaborative role or active role is seen as valuable information for Registered Nurses to tailor nursing care.

Patient characteristics of women and men cared for during the first 10 years at an inpatient hospice ward in Sweden

The hospice philosophy with focus on the patient's autonomy and the ideal of a good death are the overall objectives of palliative care. Often-raised questions, when discussing hospice, are for which of the incurable ill inpatient hospice is the most optimal care alternative together with who are making use of hospice. The aim of the present study was to describe patient characteristics such as age, marital status, diagnosis, referral source and length of stay (LoS) in relation to gender, during the first decade at an inpatient hospice ward (1992-2001). Data, obtained from medical register, were analysed by using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. The number of patients was 666 women and 555 men, and most of them were elderly. In some respects significant differences were observed between women and men. More women than men were single, had cancer with relatively rapid trajectory and were referred from the oncology department. Men, more often than women, were diagnosed with cancers with a somewhat longer trajectory. Despite the longer trajectory, the LoS was shorter for men (median =13 days) than for women (median = 17 days). The most frequent referral source was hospital, though men, younger men in particular, were more often referred from home-based hospice care than women. During the last 3 years self-referrals were documented. Self-referrals can be seen as one distinct expression from a standpoint of one's own active choice compared with other referrals. Altogether, self-referrals were less frequent among women than men but in relation to age, self-referrals were more common among the youngest (<60 years) and the oldest women (>85 years) than men in the same age groups. Further studies illuminating a gender perspective can broaden the understanding of what these differences may imply for women and men.

Emergency department triage: is there a link between nurses' personal characteristics and accuracy in triage decisions?

INTRODUCTION

A common task of registered nurses is to perform emergency department triage, often using an especially designed triage scale in their assessment. However, little information is available about the factors that promote the quality of these decisions. This study investigated personal characteristics of registered nurses and the accuracy in their acuity ratings of patient scenarios.

METHODS

Using the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), 423 registered nurses from 48 (62%) Swedish emergency departments individually triaged 18 patient scenarios.

RESULTS

The registered nurses' percentage of accurate acuity ratings was 58%, with a range from 22% to 89% accurate acuity ratings per registered nurse. In total, 60.3% of the registered nurses accurately triaged the scenarios in 50-69% of the cases. No relationship was found between personal characteristics of the registered nurses and their ability to triage.

DISCUSSION

The lack of a relationship between personal characteristics of registered nurses and their ability to triage suggests that there might be intrapersonal characteristics, particularly the decision-making strategies used which can partly explain this dispersion. Future research that focuses on decision-making is likely to contribute in identifying and describing essential nursing characteristics for successful emergency department triage.

Accuracy and concordance of nurses in emergency department triage

In the emergency department (ED) Registered Nurses (RNs) often perform triage, i.e. the sorting and prioritizing of patients. The allocation of acuity ratings is commonly based on a triage scale. To date, three reliable 5-level triage scales exist, of which the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) is one. In Sweden, few studies on ED triage have been conducted and the organization of triage has been found to vary considerably with no common triage scale. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy and concordance of emergency nurses acuity ratings of patient scenarios in the ED setting. Totally, 423 RNs from 48 (62%) Swedish EDs each triaged 18 patient scenarios using the CTAS. Of the 7,550 triage ratings, 57.6% were triaged in concordance with the expected outcome and no scenario was triaged into the same triage level by all RNs. Inter-rater agreement for all RNs was kappa = 0.46 (unweighted) and kappa = 0.71 (weighted). The fact that the kappa-values are only moderate to good and the low concordance between the RNs call for further studies, especially from a patient safety perspective.

Mapping VIPS concepts for nursing interventions to the ISO reference terminology model for nursing actions: A collaborative Scandinavian analysis

The aims of this study were to analyze the coherence between the concepts for nursing interventions in the Swedish VIPS model for nursing recording and the ISO Reference Terminology Model for Nursing Actions and to identify areas in the two models for further development. Seven Scandinavian experts analyzed the VIPS model's concepts for nursing interventions using prototypical examples of nursing actions, involving 233 units of analyses, and collaborated in mapping the two models. All nursing interventions in the VIPS model comprise actions and targets, but a few lack explicit expressions of means. In most cases, the recipient of care is implicit. Expressions for the aim of an action are absent from the ISO model. By this mapping we identified areas for future development of the VIPS model and the experience from nursing terminology work in Scandinavia can contribute to the international standardization efforts.

Patient participation in decision making in nursing

Patient participation in decision making concerning nursing needs is an important aspect of high quality care, of interest for both planning and implementing care. However, patients' perspective on participation in clinical decision making has not been studied extensively and the literature is inconclusive of what roles patients prefer to adopt. The aim was to investigate associations between patient demographics and preferences for participation in clinical decision making and to compare patients and RNs perceptions of the patients' preferences for participation. A cross sectional study including 80 nurse-patient dyads was adopted. The Control Preference scale was used to collect data. The findings showed that younger and more educated patients preferred to be more active in some aspects of decision making than older and less educated patients did. Further, in comparison with RNs inference of patient preferences for participation, patients preferred to be more passive in decision making in relation to nursing needs in general, as well as for physical and psychosocial needs. Differences in perceptions between patients and RNs concerning patient participation could hamper high quality care and need to be addressed.

The use of qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) to manage and support the analysis of think aloud (TA) data

This methodological paper describes how qualitative data analysis software (QDAS) is being used to manage and support a three-step protocol analysis (PA) of think aloud (TA) data in a study examining emergency nurses' reasoning during triage. The authors believe that QDAS program QRS NVivo will greatly facilitate the PA and will allow them to identify and describe the information that triage nurses concentrate on during triage, and how they structure this information to make a triage decision. These findings could assist in designing and creating decision support systems to guide nurses' triaging. Additionally, details about how to use QRS NVivo for PA of TA data may assist and guide future informatics research using similar methodology are presented here. This innovative use of QDAS holds great promise for future nursing informatics research.

Recording of nursing assessment and interventions for stroke patients with eating difficulties

A standardised language is a necessary condition for successful development and implementation of electronic patient records. In the present study a record audit was performed at a Swedish stroke unit. The aims were to analyse how the nursing process on eating difficulties after stroke was represented in nursing documentation and to describe the information that was transferred to the next care provider at discharge. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Results show that care planning and nursing interventions were not visible in patient records. Furthermore, the language proved vague and expressed in a "non-professional" manner.

Developing a national integrated classification of health care interventions in Sweden

BACKGROUND

Existing classifications in Sweden of health care interventions used for quality assurance issues and for decisions on resource allocation does not capture all types of health care interventions. The work of professional groups like nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists is partly invisible. There is a need to develop a classification of health care interventions that comprise all activity within the health care sector.

AIM

To describe a multi-professional collaborative work on classification development and to provide suggestions for an organizing structure that can capture interventions in the health care services incorporating different professional perspectives.

RESULTS

The professional groups reached a common understanding about the use of the classification of The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a unifying framework in the classification of health care interventions. Proposal was made for a revised structure of a current classification of interventions using ICD as unifying framework.

CONCLUSION

The use of ICF as a unifying framework is seen as a fruitful way of overcoming professional differences, and by that supporting the process of reaching a common understanding and use of a common language when describing interventions in health care.

Triage in emergency departments: national survey

AIM

This paper reports a study the aim of which was to describe how triage-related work was organized and performed in Swedish emergency departments.

BACKGROUND

Hospitals in many developed countries use some kind of system to prioritize the patients attending emergency departments. Triage is a commonly used term to refer to the process of sorting and prioritizing patients for care. How the triage procedure is organized and which personnel perform this type of work vary considerably throughout the world. In Sweden, few studies have explored this important issue.

METHOD

A national survey was conducted using telephone interviews, with nurse managers at each of the emergency departments. The sample represented 87% of emergency departments in Sweden.

RESULTS

The findings clearly illustrate the organization of emergency department triage, focusing on personnel who perform triage, as well as the facilities, resources and procedures available for triage. However, the results indicate that work associated with such triage in Sweden is not organized in any consistent matter. In 81% of the emergency departments a clerk, Licensed Practical Nurse or Registered Nurse were assigned to assess patients not arriving by ambulance. There was also diversity in other areas, including requirements for staff to have particular qualifications and clinical experience for being allocated to triage work, as well as facilities for triage personnel assessing and prioritizing patients. The use of triage scales and acuity ratings also lacked uniformity and disparities were observed in both the design and use of triage scales. A little less than half (46%) of the emergency departments did not use any kind of triage scale to document patient acuity ratings.

CONCLUSION

In contrast to several other countries, this study shows that Swedish emergency departments do not adhere well to established standards and guidelines about triage in emergency care. Research on emergency department triage, especially in the areas of personnel performing triage, triage scales and standards and guidelines are recommended.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The diversity among several aspects of nursing triage (e.g. use of less qualified personnel performing triage, the use of different triage scales) presented in the study points to a safety risk for the patients. It also shows the need of further education for the personnel in clinical practice as well as further research on triage in order to gain national consensus about this nursing task.

Living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Part I. Struggling with meal-related situations: experiences among persons with COPD

Reduced nutritional intake with low and decreased body weight can be a component of normal ageing. There is, however, also a greater risk for reduced nutritional intake within certain diagnoses, especially for chronic diseases. Malnutrition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is caused by many factors. The relationship between COPD and low values of body mass index (BMI) is a known independent risk for mortality. For optimal support and care with special focus on nutritional status and interventions, caregivers need more knowledge about the meal-related situations (i.e. shopping for food, cooking and eating) of COPD patients. The aim of this study was to describe experiences of meal-related situations as viewed from the individual's perspective. The sample included eight women and five men with COPD recruited from five primary health clinics. The participants' average age was 68.9 years, with values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1) percentage) ranging from 18 to 69 and BMI values from 15 to 40. A descriptive design with qualitative interviews and self-reported diaries were used and the data were later analysed using content analysis. Findings showed consistency between informants' COPD, nutritional status and descriptions of experiences in meal-related situations. Findings were disease-specific but were also found to be general- and age-related. Respondents described physical influences and positive and negative feelings in their meal-related situations. Feelings of dependence, level of activity, transport of food, having company or being alone, appetite, hunger and need of time were also mentioned. Most research reports reduced nutritional status from a medical perspective. To our knowledge, no study has reported the positive and negative feelings that arise when eating in persons with COPD. Malnutrition for persons with COPD is not only caused by eating difficulties: eating is an integral part of social situations as shown in this study.

The meaning of patient participation for patients and nurses at a nurse-led clinic for chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND

The legislation of many Western countries emphasizes active patient participation. Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), however, have experienced participation differently from the general interpretation of legal definitions. Education improves uptake of self-management strategies yet knowledge is lacking about support of patients' own resources in CHF.

AIM

To explore the phenomena of patient participation and non-participation as shown in patient visits to a nurse-led clinic for CHF and as experienced by the patients and nurses.

METHODS

Data triangulation of field notes from participatory observations and texts from narrative interviews with the patients and assigned nurse specialists. Data were analyzed according to the phenomenological hermeneutic tradition.

FINDINGS

Patients' experience of participation and non-participation was interpreted as "Being responsible and accepting responsibility" and "Lacking an equal relationship while being controlled", respectively. Nurses experienced patient participation as "Getting information and security to act" and patient non-participation as "Not accepting".

CONCLUSION

Conflicting values of patients and nurses, which were interpreted with respect to participation and non-participation, presumably might influence patient information and education negatively. The issue of participation should be raised as a means of attaining concordance and to facilitate patient participation with education specifically tailored to the individual patient's needs.

Patients' and nurses' perceptions of nursing problems in an acute care setting

AIM

This paper reports a study to determine the degree of agreement or disagreement between nurses and patients in their perceptions of the presence, severity, and importance of nursing problems.

BACKGROUND

Patient experiences, values and preferences are increasingly acknowledged as important factors underpinning healthcare decision-making. The ability to identify patient problems accurately is an important prerequisite for planning and implementing individualized high quality care.

METHODS

A convenience sample of patients (n = 80) and Registered Nurses (n = 30) in an acute care setting responded to a 43-item questionnaire. Findings. Nurses identified patients' problems with a sensitivity of 0.53 and a positive predictive value of 0.50. Patients identified several severe problems that were not identified by nurses, particularly problems with nutrition, sleep, pain, and emotions/spirituality. Nurses underestimated the severity in 47% of mutually-identified problems. An overall level of agreement of 44% was found on the importance of patient problems. Low levels of agreement on severity and importance were related more to individual differences than to systematic differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses need to be more aware that patients and nurses often hold disparate views of the priorities in nursing care. To plan individualized nursing care effectively, nurses need to elicit and use individual patients' preferences more systematically in care planning.

Quality of Nursing Diagnoses: Evaluation of an Educational Intervention

PURPOSE

To investigate the effects on the quality of nursing diagnostic statements in patient records after education in the nursing process and implementation of new forms for recording.

METHODS

Quasi-experimental design. Randomly selected patient records reviewed before and after intervention from one experimental unit (n = 70) and three control units (n = 70). A scale with 14 characteristics pertaining to nursing diagnoses was developed and used together with the instrument (CAT-CH-ING) for record review.

FINDINGS

Quality of nursing diagnostic statements improved in the experimental unit, whereas no improvement was found in the control units. Serious flaws in the use of the etiology component were found. CONCLUSION. Nurses must be more concerned with the accuracy and quality of the nursing diagnoses and the etiology component needs to be given special attention.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Education of RNs in nursing diagnostic statements and peer review using standardized evaluation instruments can be means to further enhance RNs' documentation practice.