Patient participation in nursing care: an interpretation by Swedish Registered Nurses
One of the main objectives of positive health care is patient participation. Registered nurses should encourage the participation of their patients by informing the patient and promoting patient choice and decision making.
In this study, 31 Registered Swedish nurses, across five different hospitals in Sweden, described their understanding of patient participation and how to implement it in the nursing relationship.
It was noted that the starting point is interpersonal interaction between nurse and patient. Communication, as part of interpersonal interaction, is necessary for establishing a functioning relationship with the patient. For communication to occur, there needs to be contact and dialogue where the nurse used their whole self to get to know the patient. Active listening, body language and feedback from the patient were listed as proponents of patient participation.
The nurses in the study stated that intentional dialogue was important for focusing on the patient's needs. The nurse should exchange information and knowledge with the patient in order to access the patent's self image and to provide insight into their personal situation.
Information, choice, decisions and responsibility are all opportunities for influence - where the nurse's intentional interaction with the patient gives the patient opportunity to participate and influence the process. These opportunities can strengthen the client's sense of power and control in a situation.
In order to give the patient an opportunity to participate and influence the situation, transfer of information must occur. There should be an exchange of information in both directions: nurse informs client and client informs nurse, which concurs with other studies such as Paterson and Zderad's (1998) The nurse should give the information in a way that the patient can accept and understand it.
Overall, the quality of the relationship was found to be of central importance which had been noted by Paterson and Zderad in their nursing theory.
Interpersonal procedure is noted as being of fundamental importance within the nurse-patient relationship. This procedure addresses the strategies used for establishing an atmosphere conducive to communication and collaboration with patients and their needs.
Patients must be viewed as being competent to make their own decisions when it comes to their care. Both the patient's ability to participate and the nurse's ability to share control and power are important. The chance to exercise control and participate in care decisions should be taken seriously and patient opinions should be respected.
Sahlsten, M.J.M, Larson, I. E., Lindencrona, C.S.C., Plos, K.A.E., (2005). Patient participation in nursing care: an interpretation by Swedish Registered Nurses, Journal of Clinical Nursing 14 (1), pp.35-42
One of the main objectives of positive health care is patient participation. Registered nurses should encourage the participation of their patients by informing the patient and promoting patient choice and decision making.
In this study, 31 Registered Swedish nurses, across five different hospitals in Sweden, described their understanding of patient participation and how to implement it in the nursing relationship.
It was noted that the starting point is interpersonal interaction between nurse and patient. Communication, as part of interpersonal interaction, is necessary for establishing a functioning relationship with the patient. For communication to occur, there needs to be contact and dialogue where the nurse used their whole self to get to know the patient. Active listening, body language and feedback from the patient were listed as proponents of patient participation.
The nurses in the study stated that intentional dialogue was important for focusing on the patient's needs. The nurse should exchange information and knowledge with the patient in order to access the patent's self image and to provide insight into their personal situation.
Information, choice, decisions and responsibility are all opportunities for influence - where the nurse's intentional interaction with the patient gives the patient opportunity to participate and influence the process. These opportunities can strengthen the client's sense of power and control in a situation.
In order to give the patient an opportunity to participate and influence the situation, transfer of information must occur. There should be an exchange of information in both directions: nurse informs client and client informs nurse, which concurs with other studies such as Paterson and Zderad's (1998) The nurse should give the information in a way that the patient can accept and understand it.
Overall, the quality of the relationship was found to be of central importance which had been noted by Paterson and Zderad in their nursing theory.
Interpersonal procedure is noted as being of fundamental importance within the nurse-patient relationship. This procedure addresses the strategies used for establishing an atmosphere conducive to communication and collaboration with patients and their needs.
Patients must be viewed as being competent to make their own decisions when it comes to their care. Both the patient's ability to participate and the nurse's ability to share control and power are important. The chance to exercise control and participate in care decisions should be taken seriously and patient opinions should be respected.
Sahlsten, M.J.M, Larson, I. E., Lindencrona, C.S.C., Plos, K.A.E., (2005). Patient participation in nursing care: an interpretation by Swedish Registered Nurses, Journal of Clinical Nursing 14 (1), pp.35-42