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Proactive Health Support (PaHS) is a large-scale intervention in Denmark carried out by registered nurses (RNs) who provide self-management support to people at risk of hospital admission to enhance their health, coping, and quality of life. PaHS is initiated with a face-to-face session followed by telephone conversations. We aimed to explore the start-up sessions, including if and how the relationship between participants and RNs developed at the onset of PaHS. We used an ethnographic design including observations and informal interviews. Data were analyzed using a phenomenological–hermeneutical approach. The study showed that contexts such as hospitals and RNs legitimized the intervention. Face-to-face communication contributed to credibility, just as the same RN throughout the intervention ensured continuity. We conclude that start-up sessions before telephone-based self-management support enable a trust-based relationship between participants and RNs. Continuous contact with the same RNs throughout the session promoted participation in the intervention.

Aim Proactive Health Support is a telephone‐based self‐management intervention that is carried out in Denmark by Registered Nurses who provide self‐management support to people at risk of hospital admission. We aimed to explore participants’ experiences of Proactive Health Support and to identify what the participants find important and meaningful during the intervention process. Design Qualitative design involving semi‐structured interview. Methods Using a phenomenological–hermeneutical framework, we conducted semi‐structured interviews with 62 participants in their own homes (32 women, 30 men; aged 20–81 years) in spring and fall 2018. Results The participants felt confident that they could discuss every matter with the nurses. Participants benefitted from accessibility to the nurses’ professional and medical competences and they felt relief that the nurses contacted them via the telephone due to their multiple health conditions. The participants felt that the nurses were available and helped them to navigate the healthcare system. Conclusion The participants valued the intervention because they benefitted from the nurses’ holistic approach. They described the nurses’ knowledge and professionalism in relation to their symptoms, treatments, and medicine as important and meaningful. Accordingly, the intervention seemed to promote feelings of independence and self‐management among the participants. Impact From a nursing perspective, the study highlights that it is possible to establish a close relationship and behavioural change among participants through regular telephone contact.