Karlsson Jenny, Hammar Lena Marmstål, Kerstis Birgitta
Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Health Care Services, SE 113 64 Stockholm, Sweden.
School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Malardalen University, SE-722 18 Vasteras, Sweden.
Nurs Rep. 2021 Mar 4;11(1):152-163. doi: 10.3390/nursrep11010015.
This study describes nurses' experiences in identifying mental ill-health in older men in primary care. The aging population is growing in Sweden and life expectancy is increasing. Age is a risk factor for mental ill-health. Older men are over-represented in deaths from suicide. When older men seek primary care, it is often because of somatic symptoms and rarely for mental health issues. A questionnaire with five open questions was answered by 39 nurses from 10 primary care centres and subjected to inductive qualitative content analysis. The results revealed a main theme-capturing the unsaid-and two categories: (1) feeling secure in the role, with three subcategories (building trust, daring to ask and interpreting signs); and (2) the need for resources, with two subcategories (time and continuity, and finding support in collaboration). The results confirm that nurses in primary care play a key role in identifying mental ill-health in older men. There is a need for resources in the form of time, competence and collaboration with other professionals and patients' relatives. This strategy will establish best practice and provide evidence-based care to facilitate improvements in older men's mental health and prevent suicide.
本研究描述了护士在基层医疗中识别老年男性心理健康问题方面的经历。瑞典的老年人口正在增长，预期寿命也在增加。年龄是心理健康问题的一个风险因素。老年男性在自杀死亡中所占比例过高。当老年男性寻求基层医疗服务时，通常是因为躯体症状，很少是为了解决心理健康问题。来自10个基层医疗中心的39名护士回答了一份包含5个开放式问题的问卷，并对其进行了归纳性定性内容分析。结果揭示了一个主要主题——捕捉未说出口的话——以及两个类别：（1）在角色中感到安心，包括三个子类别（建立信任、敢于提问和解读迹象）；（2）对资源的需求，包括两个子类别（时间和连续性，以及在合作中寻求支持）。结果证实，基层医疗中的护士在识别老年男性心理健康问题方面发挥着关键作用。需要以时间、能力以及与其他专业人员和患者亲属合作为形式的资源。这一策略将确立最佳实践，并提供循证护理，以促进老年男性心理健康的改善并预防自杀。
