Acceptance of preventive home visits by nurses – The user perspective

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate acceptance of preventive home visits (PHVs) for older adults in rural Germany.DesignQualitative descriptive approach.SampleWe investigated the personal, individual perspective of adults aged 65 to 85, who were not yet eligible for benefits from the long‐term care insurance, were able to understand and speak German, and who lived in the municipality under study.MeasurementsFifteen semi‐structured interviews were conducted between 02/2019 and 08/2020. They were transcribed, coded using MAXQDA, and content analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained.ResultsThe acceptance of PHVs was extremely high and characterized by five main effects: very close relationship with the nurse, well‐being, empowerment, satisfaction, ambivalence. Participants wish to receive PHVs in the future and would recommend it to others. Even those with a healthy or health‐promoting lifestyle are thankful to be able to refer to the counselling sessions if life circumstances should deteriorate. Those who became care‐dependent wish to continue and perceive it as a valuable addition to their care.ConclusionFrom the participants’ point of view, this low‐threshold counselling‐and‐support approach should be maintained in the future. PHVs can support health and independence in older adults and therefore prevent them from becoming care‐dependent.