Participation in Care Encounters in Heart Failure Home-Care

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to observe care encounters during home visits in HF home-care in order to identify and describe participation in care. Seventeen patients diagnosed with heart failure and ten registered nurses participated. Data from nineteen videorecorded home visits were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Two themes were identified (i) Participation in the care encounter is made possible by interaction, including exchanging care-related information, care-related reasoning, collaboration, and (ii) Participation in the care encounter is made possible by an enabling approach, including the patient expressing their own wishes, showing an active interest, while the nurse is committed and invites to having a dialogue. The heart failure home-care context showed good potential for patient participation. Room for discussions and collaboration facilitated for the patients to be active partners in their care, which in turn may have positive effects on outcomes.

The nurse–patient relationship in the New Public Management era, in public home care: A focused ethnography

“…Patients are on their own turf and have the power to invite nurses into relationships, or not, simply by locking the door. NPRs, interaction, and an enabling approach remain important in home care as they facilitate patient participation (Eldh, Ekman, & Ehnfors, ; Näsström, Mårtensson, Idvall, & Strömberg, ). The relationship balance‐of‐power adjusts in favour of patients and many have opportunities to participate in their own care in a different way.…”

“…NPRs, interaction, and an enabling approach remain important in home care as they facilitate patient participation (Eldh, Ekman, & Ehnfors, 2010;Näsström, Mårtensson, Idvall, & Strömberg, 2017).…”