Registered nurses’ role experiences of caring for older stroke patients: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background With China’s population ageing rapidly, stroke is becoming one of the major public health problems. Nurses are indispensable for caring for older patients with acute and convalescent stroke, and their working experiences are directly linked to the quality of care provided. The study aims to investigate registered nurses’ experiences of caring for older stroke patients. Methods A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 26 registered nurses about their lived experiences of caring for older stroke patients. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Two main themes were identified. First, the nurses identified an obvious gap between their ideal role in elderly care and their actual practice. The unsatisfactory reality was linked to the practical difficulties they encountered in their working environment. Second, the nurses expressed conflicting feelings about caring for older stroke patients, displaying a sense of accomplishment, indifference, annoyance, and sympathy. Caring for older stroke patients also affects nurses psychologically and physically. The nurses were clear about their own roles and tried their best to meet the elderly people’s needs, yet they lack time and knowledge about caring for older stroke patients. The factors influencing their working experiences extend beyond the personal domain and are linked to the wider working environment. Conclusions Sustaining the nursing workforce and improving their working experiences are essential to meet the care needs of older people. Understanding nurses’ lived working experiences is the first step. At the individual level, nurse mangers should promote empathy, relieve anxiety about aging, and improve the job satisfaction and morale of nurses. At the institutional level, policymakers should make efforts to improve the nursing clinical practice environment, increase the geriatric nursing education and training, achieve a proper skill mix of the health workforce, and overall attract, prepare and sustain nurses regarding caring for older people in a rapidly aging society.

Perceived HRM and turnover intentions of elderly care workers: perspective from person-job fit and institutional ownership

“…The perceived work environment of elderly care workers had the greatest impact on the turnover intentions ( =-0.5164), indicating that the daily work environment of elderly care workers had a deeper impact on the work experience than the occupational protection system ( =-0.3390), the welfare benefits system ( =-0.2620) and the competency training system ( =-0.1421). This is consistent with the findings of some earlier studies, that is, the turnover intentions of elderly care workers arises from the great difference between their ideal role before joining job and the actual working conditions after joining job, and the unsatisfactory working experience of elderly care workers maps out the practical difficulties encountered in the working environment [ 46 ]. A global study shows that the nursing shortage caused by high unemployment among nursing staff has affected countries in Europe, Asia and North America, and that working conditions, employment policies and deficiencies in career advancement programs have made the nursing profession less attractive.…”

Effects of “two-heart” nursing mode on the psychological state and quality of life of stroke patients

“…Basic nursing is only given to patients when they are admitted to the hospital, which can only meet part of their nursing needs without understanding their mental state and comprehensiveness. Consequently, the nursing effect and care is often not ideal [ 28 ]. The two-heart nursing approach not only provides basic nursing services for patients but also offers more high-quality and efficient nursing services from various aspects, focusing on both the physical health and mental well-being of patients.…”

Rol Enfermero en la Atención del Paciente con ICTUS en Entornos Hospitalarios

“…Cheng, W., Tu, J., & Shen, X. 2021 -China Semantic Scholar [35] Investigar las experiencias de las enfermeras registradas en el cuidado de pacientes mayores con ICTUS Los resultados evidencian que las enfermeras identificaron una brecha obvia entre su papel ideal en el cuidado y su práctica real, evidenciaron sentimientos encontrados de sensación de logro, indiferencia, molestia y simpatía; las afecta psicológica y físicamente, no obstante, tienen claro sus funciones en la atención del paciente con ICTUS.…”