| 1. |
- Johnson, Christina, 1964-
(författare)
-
Telephone advice nursing : communication, patient satisfaction and tool development
- 2018
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Telenursing has rapidly expanded in many countries. In Sweden, a national telephone advisory nursing service reaches the entire nation and receives approximately 4,5 million calls per year. The six phase nursing process – assessment, nursing diagnosis, setting goals, planning, implementation and evaluation – can be used when managing a caller’s health problem. In telenursing, a person-centred approach makes for more satisfied and appreciative callers. The core component of interaction is the verbal communication between the telenurse and caller. Several studies have revealed the need for the development of communication competence in telenursing. Structured analyses of conversations between telenurses and callers is one way to increase telenurses’ awareness of their communication and interpersonal competence. This type of analysis requires a valid formative self-assessment tool. To evaluate communicative effectiveness, the patient perspective of the interpersonal aspects of interaction are described as a necessary component, and satisfaction surveys designed for a telenursing context are recommended. Therefore, a questionnaire is needed that evaluates the effects of telenurse communication training from the caller’s perspective.Aims: The overall aim of these two studies was to develop tools to enable improvements and evaluations in communication and interpersonal competence in telenursing from the perspective of both the telenurse and the caller.Study 1: To develop a self-assessment tool aiming to raise telenurses’ awareness of their communication and interpersonal competence and highlight areas in need of improvement.Study 2: To develop and assess content validity of a theoretically anchored questionnaire that explores caller satisfaction in TAN as a result of the interaction between the caller and the telenurse.Methods: Study 1: The development and the evaluation of content validity of the Telenursing Self-Assessment Tool (TSAT) started with a literature search and domain identification, which were used to generate the items. The assessment of the content validity was performed in two steps. First, an expert group completed two rounds of assessments using Content Validity Index (CVI). Second, telenurses tested the tool and assessed the content validity using CVI. Thereafter, the telenurses participated in consensus discussions. Refinements of the tool were done after every assessment.Study 2: The development and the evaluation of content validity of the Telenursing Interaction and Satisfaction Questionnaire (TISQ) started with a literature search and domain identification, which were used to generate the items. The assessment of the content validity was performed in two steps. First, cognitive interviews were performed with the callers, the target population. Next, experts evaluated the content validity using CVI. Refinements of the tool were done after every assessment. The Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB) provided theoretical guidance and support.Results:Study 1: The TSAT with 58 items was developed. The items were structured according to the nursing process and the tool was judged as having good content validity.Study 2: The TISQ consisting of 60 items based on the IMCHB was developed. The questionnaire was found to exhibit good content validity.Conclusions: This thesis describes the development and assessment of content validity of two theoretically anchored tools aimed to improve and evaluate communication and interpersonal competence in telenursing from the perspective of both the telenurse and the caller. The TSAT is meant to create learning opportunities, to provide self-direction, feedback, and coaching, and to guide the telenurse through the nursing process using a person-centred approach. The TISQ aims to explore the callers’ satisfaction and the callers’ perceptions of the interaction with the telenurse. With better knowledge about this, communication improvement and education in telenursing can be tailored to enhance caller satisfaction.
|
|
| 2. |
- Mattisson, Marie, 1968-
(författare)
-
"I'm calling for hope, comfort and maybe some advice..." : Interaction and caller satisfaction in telenursing
- 2023
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: The provision of nursing over the telephone is an appreciated asset in many parts of the world. Interaction between telenurse and caller is important for caller satisfaction, and satisfaction in turn is positively related to outcomes such as adherence, engagement in self-care and well-being. Despite the long history of telehealth services, research about interaction in telenursing is still in a developmental stage.Aim: The overall aim of the thesis was to develop a questionnaire that enables valid and reliable exploration of telenurse–caller interaction, and caller satisfaction with calls, and to explore interaction and its importance for caller satisfaction.Methods: The thesis applied a deductive approach based on a theoretical nursing model; the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB). Interaction in the IMCHB, is divided into four components: health information, affective support, decisional control, and professional-technical competencies. In the first study (I), the Telenursing Interaction and Satisfaction Questionnaire (TISQ) was developed. Variables were identified through a literature review, structured according to the IMCHB, and worded as questionnaire items. Content validity was evaluated with input from cognitive interviews with callers, and professionals using the Content Validity Index (CVI). A consecutive sample of 1,400 callers received the TISQ by post, and test-retest reliability of single items was evaluated. In Study two (II), 25 items from the TISQ focusing on interaction between callers and telenurses were selected to form the Telenursing Interaction and Satisfaction Scale (TISS), a scale for the measurement of caller satisfaction with interaction in four subscales according to the IMCHB. Psychometric properties of the TISS were evaluated with a focus on data quality, factor structure, convergent validity, and reliability. In Study three (III), caller satisfaction with interaction (i.e., TISS scores) and their associations to overall satisfaction with calls were explored using descriptive statistics, repeated measures ANOVA and ordinal logistic regression models. In Study four (IV), 30 transcripts of authentic calls were analysed using content analysis with directed approach. A coding scheme based on the four components of interaction in the IMCHB was developed and applied for deductive categorisation of data. Manifest content of conversations (n = 37,447 words) was presented quantitatively and qualitatively. In addition, data was coded and analysed in relation to phases in the conversation process for telenursing: opening, listening, analysing, motivating, and ending.Results: The 60 item TISQ showed good content validity in the telenursing setting (I), with a Scale-CVI of 0.91. Test–retest reliability of single items was moderate to good (I). TISS-data deviated significantly from a normal distribution, but all response options were endorsed (II). The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the TISS, and factor correlations were high (rs = 0.88 to 0.96) (II). A higher order model showed marginally deteriorated model fit values (II). Ordinal alpha, scale reliability, and test–retest reliability were satisfactory for all scales, and convergent validity was satisfactory (II). Callers expressed the highest level of satisfaction with affective support, while their satisfaction with decisional control was comparatively lower (III). Callers’ satisfaction with interaction was positively associated with overall satisfaction with calls, even when considering experienced waiting time, main result of the call, fulfilment of expectations, age, gender, self-rated health status and time of call (III). A total of 97% of manifest words in conversations were identified as nursing interaction based on the IMCHB (IV). Health information was the primary focus, particularly during the listening and analysing phases (IV). Affective support was the least prominent component, and callers’ reactions to advice were seldom discussed (IV). The opening phase was the shortest, and analysing phase the most word consuming (IV).Conclusions: The TISQ, including the TISS, provide a valid and reliable questionnaire for the study of telenurse-caller interaction, and caller satisfaction. Caller satisfaction with the interaction can be measured using the four subscales in the TISS. In cases where there is a problem with multicollinearity, a total scale score from the TISS can be utilized. All four components of interaction in the IMCHB play a crucial role in determining overall caller satisfaction with calls. Therefore, the development of interaction in telenursing need to consider all four components. The exchange of health information presents challenges for both telenurses and callers, and affective support can be provided to callers without verbalizing emotions. Among the four components, decisional control may have the largest potential for improvement in the studied setting. This can be achieved by acknowledging callers’ reactions to advice.
|
|
| 3. |
- Kneck, Åsa, 1973-
(författare)
-
Living with diabetes : a lifelong learning process
- 2015
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Living with diabetes, as a lifelong illness, is interlaced with learning and to face continual changes. However, the role of time in this learning process is not yet well understood. The overall aim of the thesis was to gain a deepened understanding of learning to live with diabetes for those recently diagnosed and over a three year period. The thesis, involving four studies where qualitative inductive content analysis (I, III) and phenomenological hermeneutical interpretation (II, IV) were used, has a lifeworld approach and a qualitative and longitudinal design. Thirteen persons, recently diagnosed with diabetes (type I or II), were interviewed on three different occasions over a three year period. All interviews focused on the experience of living with diabetes and situations where diabetes had to be taken into account. The aim of study I was to reach an understanding of how learning to live with diabetes is experienced in the first 2 months after diagnosis. The findings revealed to be taken over by a new reality, with a body that played a role in life with the health care service as a necessary partner. The aim of study II was to illuminate the meaning of learning to live with diabetes three years after being diagnosed. The findings revealed learning as making decisions through use of different sources of information and as solving the life-puzzle – a delicate balance to create a desired life. The aim of study III was to identify patterns in learning when living with diabetes, from recently being diagnosed, and over a 3-year period. In the findings five patterns were identified illuminating different learning processes emerging over time. A longer time living with diabetes did not per se mean increased satisfaction in living well with illness or increased confidence in understanding one’s own needs. The aim of the IV study was to illuminate the meanings of trigger situations in learning to live with diabetes. The findings revealed trigger situations, such as being encumbered by vulnerability and temporality in unsustainable situations with an unpredictable body and a life involving new concerns for the future. The thesis conducted that learning was an informal and ongoing everyday process in life. Time living with diabetes meant both an increased mastery of a changed life situation, but also increased difficulties in achieving well-being and with a dependency on health care. Hence, health care interventions must adhere to the individual’s needs and not be based on duration of illness. Understanding the body and the role of health care, as well as what facilitates and hampers learning, changed with time. It is therefore important that health care personnel illuminate the individual understanding and experiences of those living with diabetes as this was found to be important for the learning process as well as for their sense of well-being.
|
|
| 4. |
- Pavedahl, Veronica, 1980-
(författare)
-
Person-centered fundamental care in the emergency room : Patient and registered nurse perspectives
- 2023
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Patients who suffer from life-threatening illness or injury – experiencing conditions such as cardiac arrest, breathing problems, or trauma – are cared for at designated emergency rooms within the emergency department. In the emergency room, the registered nurse is responsible for those who are exposed and vulnerable and have complex needs. In these rooms, the biomedical focus may reinforce a culture that values the medical-technical aspects of nursing. Meeting patients’ fundamental care needs, such as respect, information, and toileting, in a person-centered way seems challenging in emergency rooms. When care is not provided correctly, the consequences for the patient’s health can be serious, for instance resulting in physical complications in the form of pressure injuries from breathing masks and spine boards or psychological complications such as worry, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress syndrome. Little is known about how person-centered fundamental care is made visible and valued both for and by patients in emergency rooms. In this thesis the understanding of fundamental care is guided by the Fundamentals of Care framework, in order to maintain an optimal person-centered care that considers the patient’s fundamental care needs with a holistic view of the patient. The overall aim of this thesis is to explore how person-centered fundamental care needs are met for life-threateningly ill patients in emergency rooms, from both patient and registered nurse perspectives.Study I explored how fundamental care needs of life-threateningly ill or injured patients were met by observing the daily activities of registered nurses in the emergency room, through 108 observations. The results showed that registered nurses were initially engaged and active in meeting patients’ needs, but that this decreased over the duration of the care. Registered nurses met the patients’ physical needs to a greater extent than their psychosocial and relational ones. The environment affected the registered nurses’ ability to meet the patients’ fundamental care needs.To describe fundamental care needs in the emergency room, based on life-threateningly ill patients’ experiences, an interview study (Study II) was conducted with 15 persons who had been cared for in an emergency room. The interviews were analyzed using deductive content analysis based on the Fundamentals of Care framework. The results showed that relationship, timely and personalized information, and existential needs were identified as essential fundamental care needs, which were not (or only partly) met. The physical environment limited patients in having their fundamental care needs met, and they adopted a “patient role” to avoid adding to healthcare professionals’ stress.Study III described registered nurses’ work approach and prerequisites for meeting life-threateningly ill patients’ care needs from the perspective of a person-centered fundamental care framework, through 14 interviews. The results revealed that registered nurses structure their work approach in meeting patients’ fundamental care needs based on prevailing organizational and personal prerequisites.In Study IV the content of guidelines governing the registered nurses’ work in the emergency room was investigated. The results revealed that the registered nurses’ work in Swedish emergency rooms was guided by an instrumental and task-oriented approach to care. The guidelines lacked guidance in providing for patients’ fundamental care needs, and did not support the registered nurses in conducting holistic, comprehensive patient assessments and interventions.The organizational prerequisites contribute to a task-oriented and instrumental way of working, and patients are not having their fundamental care needs fully met. Fundamental care is not being promoted or prioritized, as the organization and responsibilities for providing person-centered fundamental care are unclear, unspecified, and lacking in direction for how it is to be performed – neither the organization nor the culture supports the registered nurses’ work and profession.
|
|
| 5. |
- Bjuresäter, Kaisa, 1970-
(författare)
-
Home enteral tube feeding - from patients’, relatives’ and nurses’ perspectives
- 2010
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Changes in the health-care system during the past decades have led to an increased transfer of health care to the home environment which also concerns patients treated with home enteral tube feeding (HETF). Research is scarce about how HETF care is functioning. Therefore, the overall aim with this thesis was to describe and explore HETF care and treatment from patients', relatives' and nurses' perspectives. Three qualitative and one quantitative study were used. The findings showed that the HETF treatment and care had a great impact on daily life for both patients and their relatives and implied many practical, emotional and social problems in their daily life, which they strived to manage. Side effects were common and the patients' reported low HRQL and general health. The amount and quality of received guidance and support from the health care, not least before discharge, turned out to have impact on the patients' and the relatives' daily life and how they could manage their situation. Lack of guidance and support meant insecurity, worries and distress. Cooperation in the care trajectory was found to be decisive for how well the care was running. Nurses' knowledge about tube feeding and discharge planning procedures, their commitment to the patients' care, as well as clarity regarding responsibility of HETF care were factors of crucial importance on how the cooperation worked, and the quality of the HETF care. This thesis shows the need of improvements regarding the care of HETF patients and their relatives.
|
|
| 6. |
- Ernesäter, Annica, 1970-
(författare)
-
National Telephone Advice Nursing in Sweden : Patient Safety and Communication
- 2012
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate patient safety and communication within national telephone advice nursing (SHD) in Sweden. Four empirical studies with different perspectives were conducted. The aim of Study I was to describe telenurses’ experiences of working with computerized decision support systems and how such systems could influence their work. The telenurses described a duality of perceptions: the CDSS both supported and inhibited their work. Study II aimed at describing medical errors that had led to an incident report within the context of SHD. Incident reports sent to and from the SHD during 2007 were collected. The results showed that telenurses have limited possibilities to refer callers to the appropriate level of care, and that other healthcare providers reported that telenurses had made an incorrect assessment regarding callers’ need for care. Study III aimed at describing the actual communication between telenurses and callers expecting a higher level of care than recommended by telenurses, and at investigating relationships within the communication between telenurses and callers. The results showed that telenurses were more prone to use closed-ended questions and did not follow up on callers’ understanding of the advice given. There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between callers’ expressions of Concern and telenurses’ expressions of Criticism, and also between utterances of Criticism between the parties. The aim of Study IV was to describe the characteristics of all malpractice claims following telephone calls to SHD, including the identified causes, the healthcare providers’ measures, and the actual communication between the telenurses and callers. The results showed that among the cases, 13 of 33 patients died and 12 were admitted to intensive care. The National Board of Health and Welfare’s (NBHW) investigations most commonly reported communication failure as the cause of the malpractice claims. The measures reported by SHD most commonly involved discussion in work groups and education of staff. Communication analysis showed a positive correlation between the callers’ expressions of Concern and the telenurses’ expressions of Reassurance. The results also showed communication patterns similar to those found in Study III. Hence, telenurses’ communicative strategies are not in line with the “dialogue process” they are educated in and could be regarded as a threat to patient safety.In conclusion, the importance of high quality communication is undoubted within telephone advice nursing, and specific training and supervision in communication for telenurses might contribute to improving their communicative competence as well as patient safety. Adapting the CDSS into encourage telenurses to explore callers’ reasons for calling and to follow up on understanding might facilitate patient safety. Organizations also need to take a system-wide approach when addressing patient safety issues and ensure that telenurses are given the resources they need to fulfill their work.
|
|
| 7. |
- Hjelmblink, Finn, 1939-
(författare)
-
Understanding Life After Stroke
- 2008
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Stroke is an acute, neurological dysfunction of vascular origin with sudden occurrence and it influences physical, cognitive and psychological functions. Initial treatment aims at eliminating or reducing the brain damage. Soon, however, the influence of the stroke on the entire life of stroke survivors has to be considered.This thesis explores the meaning of life after stroke to 19 elderly stroke survivors during the first year post stroke. Survivors were interviewed twice and the interviews were analysed through qualitative methods.Study I was about four survivors who delayed hospital arrival far beyond time limits for trombolytic treatment. The survivors had a strong need for control of body, autonomy and integrity and they demanded to be encountered in consultations as a person by a person. To make them search for emergency evaluation in time might demand an emergency care treating them according to these needs.In Study II the voice of an aphasic survivor was heard. Because of the damaged language his rehabilitation unilaterally focussed on language training and his need for comprehensive support and planning for the future was not observed. Implementation of a qualitative research method for text analysis adapted to practical use in dialogues with aphasic persons might ensure these survivors an adequate rehabilitation.Study III showed how time models in narratives helped stroke survivors to overcome uncertainty and recreate narrative coherence in their lives. Professionals can support survivors through revealing and reinforcing the meaning of these models.Study IV found that the meaning of rehabilitation to stroke survivors was social reintegration. Many probably did not socially reintegrate because their own strategies and subjectively experienced disabilities were unacknowledged in their rehabilitation. Through integrating illness-as-lived perspectives with biomedical perspectives, subjective dysfunctions and rehabilitation strategies of survivors could be acknowledged in stroke rehabilitation.
|
|
| 8. |
- Kaminsky, Elenor
(författare)
-
Telephone Nursing : Stakeholder views and understandings from a paediatric and a gender perspective
- 2013
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- ‘First line healthcare’ is offered via telephone in many Western countries. The overall aim of this thesis is to describe Telephone Nursing (TN) from three viewpoints: telenurses, parents calling for their children, and operation managers. Four empirical studies were conducted. Telenurses described their work in five different ways: ‘Assess, refer and give advice to the caller’, ‘Support the caller’, ‘Strengthen the caller’, ‘Teach the caller’ and ‘Facilitate the caller’s learning’, which all constitute a TN ‘work map’. Authentic paediatric calls between parents and telenurses revealed that 73% of callers were mothers and children were aged between 5 days and 14.5 years. The top three contact reasons were ear and skin problems, and fever, with a median call length of 4.4 minutes. More than half of the calls resulted in referrals and 48% received self-care advice. The likelihood of fathers being given referrals as a result of their call was almost twice as high as that for mothers, while mothers were almost twice as likely to receive self-care advice as fathers. Parents described their degree of worry and trust that influenced their decisions whether to contact SHD or not. Their calls were carefully prepared, and the parent calling often depended on family routine. Parents reported to follow recommendations. Most relied upon their own intuition if further worried, but some indicated they would never seek healthcare unless it was recommended. Operation managers described four main goals of TN work: ‘create feelings of trust’, ‘achieve patient safety’, ‘assess, refer and give advice’, and ‘teach the caller’. Equitable healthcare was regarded as important, whereas health promotion was not considered as part of the goals.Conclusion: The studied TN viewpoints present concordance and discrepancies. Paediatric health calls appear mostly to be a woman-to-woman activity. Telenurses’ increased gender competence might increase TN safety. For that matter, telenurses’ collaboration with parents and making parents aware of holding the ultimate responsibility for their child’s condition is important. Goals of TN work and their relationship with healthcare obligations such as equitable healthcare and health promotion need further clarification. The viewpoints described in this thesis may contribute to the development of TN.
|
|
| 9. |
- Lännerström, Linda, 1974-
(författare)
-
Sick Leave Questions in Telephone Nursing : Perspectives of Persons on Sick Leave and Registered Nurses in Primary Health Care
- 2018
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim and methods: To explore experiences of being on sick leave by interviewing 16 persons on sick leave and using a phenomenological approach. To explore registered nurses’ work in the care of persons on sick leave by performing three focus group discussions with registered nurses. To explore the effect and experiences of an educational intervention in social insurance medicine with registered nurses by studying the effect of a randomized controlled study with 100 registered nurses and by interviewing 12 registered nurses who participated in the intervention.Findings: The essential meaning of being on long-term sick leave was losing one’s independence. This loss was connected to mostly negative experiences of being absent from work, the social insurance rules, and experiences in encounters with many professionals.The registered nurses’ work in handling sick leave questions included assessing, dispositioning, supporting, and collaborating actions. They expressed lacking competence, had different understandings of their role, and experienced stress connected to contradictory demands in their roles as carers, co-workers, and distributors of organizational resources.The short educational intervention in social insurance medicine seemed to have had an effect, but due to the small study population, the effect was inconclusive. The process evaluation showed that the educational intervention was perceived to have contributed to registered nurses gaining role clarity in their work with sick leave questions. The registered nurses described increasing their knowledge and skills as well as taking on more of the traditional actions related to telephone nursing, for example giving more information and being more attentive, coaching, and encouraging towards patients.Conclusions: Being on long-term sick leave can be experienced negatively, and can be connected to several dimensions of life. Registered nurses at the studied primary health care centres had a role in the care of patients on sick leave, but had different understandings of their role that affected how they handled telephone calls with them. The educational intervention failed to show a conclusive effect due to the rather small study population. However, the registered nurses experienced that participating had enhanced their competence.
|
|
| 10. |
- Gustafsson, Silje
(författare)
-
Self-care for Minor Illness: People's Experiences and Needs
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- During later years, the primary care services are experiencing a heavier strain in terms of increasing expenses and higher demand for medical services. An increased awareness about pharmaceutical adverse effects and the global concern of antibiotic resistance has given self-care and active surveillance a stronger position within the primary care services. The management strategy for minor illnesses is important because care-seekers tend to repeat successful strategies from past events, and past experience with self-care drives future self-care practices. The overall aim of this thesis was to explore people’s experiences and needs when practicing self-care and receiving self-care advice for minor illnesses. This was achieved by studying people’s experiences with and knowledge of minor illnesses, self-care interventions and channels of information used when providing self-care for minor illness. Needs for confidence in self-care were studied, as well as supporting and obstructing factors in the practice of self-care. Satisfaction with telephone nursing and people’s experiences of reassurance in relation to the decision-making process in self-care for minor illness was explored. The results showed that experience correlated with self-rated knowledge of the condition, and the least common conditions most often generated a health care services consultation. To confidently practice self-care people needed good knowledge and understanding about obtaining symptom relief. Younger persons more often reported the need of having family or friends to talk to. Easy access to care was most often reported as a support in self-care, and a lack of knowledge about illnesses was most often reported as obstructing self-care. Care-seekers receiving self-care advice were less satisfied with the telephone nursing than care-seekers referred to medical care, and feeling reassured after the call was the most important factor influencing satisfaction. Self-care advice had a constricting influence on healthcare utilization, with 66.1% of the cases resulting in a lower level of care than first intended. The course of action that persons in self-care decided on was found to relate to uncertainty and perception of risk. Reassurance had the potential to allay doubts and fears to confidence, thereby influencing self-care and consultation behavior. In conclusion, symptoms of minor illness can cause uncertainty and concern, and reassurance is an important factor influencing people’s course of action when afflicted with minor illness. The nurse constitutes a calming force, and the encounter between the nurse and the care-seeker holds a unique possibility of reassurance and confidence that minor illness is self-limiting to its nature and that effective interventions can provide relief and comfort. Just as health is more than the absence of disease, self-care is more than the absence of medical care.
|
|
