Patients’ experiences of nurse-led follow-up in biological therapy – a qualitative study

• Background: Pain, stiffness and functional restrictions of the joints are the main problems for patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. When conventional drugs fail to delay the development of the disease the patients may require biological therapy. These patients usually have rheumatologist follow-up twice a year. Nurse-led clinics have been proposed for patients treated with biological therapy that are in low disease activity or remission (Disease Activity Score, DAS <3.2). In an ongoing study at a Swedish rheumatology clinic every other rheumatologist follow-up has been replaced by a rheumatology nurse-led follow-up. At the nurse-led follow-up the patients' disease activity is assessed by examining tender or swollen joints and laboratory tests.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe patients' experiences of nurse-led follow-up in biological therapy.Methods: The study had a descriptive design with a qualitative content analysis approach. In qualitative content analysis the interpretations vary in depth and level of abstraction: the manifest content describes the visible, what the text says and creating categories, the latent content involves an interpretation of the underlying meaning of the text, what the text talks about and creating a theme. Seventeen interviews were conducted based on a strategic sampling in order to achieve variation in experiences of nurse-led follow-up in terms of sex, age, civil status, education, duration of disease and therapy and ways of administration.Results: The content analysis of the interviews resulted in the theme "The rheumatology nurse promotes patients with added value" which was based on four categories: familiarity, security, availability and participatory: Familiarity meant that it was easier to ask the rheumatology nurse about disease, treatment and how to live with a chronic disease than the rheumatologist. Patients experienced security in the rheumatology nurse's knowledge and skill. Availability meant that it was easy to contact the rheumatology nurse who spent time to patients' needs. Patients experienced being participatory in their biological therapy and in the rheumatology nurse's examination of the disease activity.Conclusions: The rheumatology nurse follow-up resulted in that patients experienced familiarity, security, availability and being participatory in their biological therapy. The rheumatology nurse promoted patients from another perspective, than the rheumatologist, in the rheumatology care. By replacing every other rheumatologist follow-up with a rheumatology nurse-led follow-up for patients with biological therapy, who are in low disease activity or remission, the rheumatology care will be more complete. A rheumatology nurse and a rheumatologist have different perspectives and complement each other. When patients are given the opportunity to meet both professions regularly they are able to receive optimal rheumatology care.Disclosure of Interest: None DeclaredCitation: Ann Rheum Dis 2011;70(Suppl3):755

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Biological therapy

Nurse-led follow up

Patients

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)