University of Manchester, School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Work, Manchester, UK.
Palliat Med. 2013 Apr;27(4):349-57. doi: 10.1177/0269216312451949. Epub 2012 Jul 16.
Many palliative cancer patients spend much of their last year at home. In the UK, district nurses make frequent support visits to patients and carers at this time, yet surprisingly little is known about their supportive role in palliative care. Current studies are limited to district nurses' reports of practice, which offer limited insight into their content. Patients' and carers' views on district nurse support visits are largely unknown.
To present findings of a multi-perspective study that explored how district nurse early support visits are both described and carried out.
Focus groups with district nurses to explore views on the purpose of early support visits. Observation of support visits to identify how they are conducted. Patient and carer interviews to elucidate and verify district nurse data.
Participants included 58 district nurses, 10 palliative care patients and nine carers from four Primary Care Trusts in contrasting urban and rural locations.
District nurses had difficulty articulating early support visits. Observations however revealed a complex role comprising extensive physical and practical assessments, practical interventions, information giving, liaison, facilitation and referral. Patients and carers confirmed that they felt valued, reassured and supported by district nurses.
A multi-perspective approach provided new insights into district nurse support visits. Monitoring work described appears to have additional psycho-social benefits for patients and carers. The supportive role of district nurses needs to be clearly articulated and recognised so that colleagues, patients and carers access this valuable resource for palliative care patients.
许多晚期癌症患者在生命的最后一年大部分时间都在家中度过。在英国，地区护士此时会频繁地对患者和护理人员进行支持访问，但令人惊讶的是，人们对他们在姑息治疗中的支持角色知之甚少。目前的研究仅限于地区护士对实践的报告，这些报告对他们的内容提供了有限的见解。患者和护理人员对地区护士支持访问的看法在很大程度上是未知的。
介绍一项多视角研究的结果，该研究探讨了地区护士早期支持访问是如何被描述和进行的。
与地区护士进行焦点小组讨论，以探讨他们对早期支持访问目的的看法。观察支持访问，以确定其实施方式。对患者和护理人员进行访谈，以阐明和验证地区护士的数据。
参与者包括来自四个初级保健信托基金的 58 名地区护士、10 名姑息治疗患者和 9 名护理人员，他们来自具有不同城乡背景的四个初级保健信托基金。
地区护士难以明确阐述早期支持访问。然而，观察结果显示，他们的角色复杂，包括广泛的身体和实际评估、实际干预、信息提供、联络、促进和转介。患者和护理人员证实，他们感到被地区护士重视、安慰和支持。
多视角方法为地区护士的支持访问提供了新的见解。所描述的监测工作似乎对患者和护理人员具有额外的心理社会益处。地区护士的支持角色需要明确阐明和认可，以便同事、患者和护理人员能够获得这一宝贵的姑息治疗资源。
