Nursing
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/24
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item New care home admission following hospitalisation: How do older people, families and professionals make decisions about discharge destination? A case study narrative analysis(Wiley, 2018-03-24) Rhynas, Sarah J.; Garcia Garrido, Azucena; Burton, Jennifer K.; Logan, Gemma; MacArthur, JulietAims and objectives: To gain an in-depth understanding of the decision- making pro-cesses involved in the discharge of older people admitted to hospital from home and discharged to a care home, as described in the case records.Background: The decision for an older person to move into a care home is significant and life-changing. The discharge planning literature for older people highlights the integral role of nurses in supporting and facilitating effective discharge. However, little research has been undertaken to explore the experiences of those discharged from hospital to a care home or the processes involved in decision- making.Method: A purposive sample of 10 cases was selected from a cohort of 100 individu-als admitted to hospital from home and discharged to a care home. Cases were se-lected to highlight important personal, relational and structural factors thought to affect the decision- making process. Narrative case studies were created and were thematically analysed to explore the perspectives of each stakeholder group and the conceptualisations of risk which influenced decision-making.Results: Care home discharge decision- making is a complex process involving stake-holders with a range of expertise, experience and perspectives. Decisions take time and considerable involvement of families and the multidisciplinary team. There were significant deficits in documentation which limit the understanding of the process and the patient’s voice is often absent from case records. The experiences of older people, families and multidisciplinary team members making care home decisions in the hospital setting require further exploration to identify and define best practice.Implications for practice: Nurses have a critical role in the involvement of older peo-ple making discharge decisions in hospital, improved documentation of the patient’s voice is essential. Health and social care systems must allow older people time to make significant decisions about their living arrangements, adapting to changing medical and social needs.Item New institutionalisation following acute hospital admission: A retrospective cohort study(Oxford University Press, 2016-10-15) Harrison, Jennifer Kirsty; Garcia Garrido, Azucena; Rhynas, Sarah J.; Logan, Gemma; MacLullich, Alasdair M. J.; MacArthur, Juliet; Shenkin, SusanBackground: institutionalisation following acute hospital admission is common and yet poorly described, with policy documents advising against this transition. Objective: to characterise the individuals admitted to a care home on discharge from an acute hospital admission and to describe their assessment. Design and setting: a retrospective cohort study of people admitted to a single large Scottish teaching hospital. Subjects: 100 individuals admitted to the acute hospital from home and discharged to a care home. Methods: a single researcher extracted data from ward-based case notes. Results: people discharged to care homes were predominantly female (62%), widowed (52%) older adults (mean 83.6 years) who lived alone (67%). About 95% had a diagnosed cognitive disorder or evidence of cognitive impairment. One-third of cases of delirium were unrecognised. Hospital stays were long (median 78.5 days; range 14–231 days) and transfers between settings were common. Family request, dementia, mobility, falls risk and behavioural concerns were the commonest reasons for the decision to admit to a care home. About 55% were in the acute hospital when the decision for a care home was made and 44% of that group were discharged directly from the acute hospital. Conclusions: care home admission from hospital is common and yet there are no established standards to support best practice. Decisions should involve the whole multidisciplinary team in partnership with patients and families. Documentation of assessment in the case notes is variable. We advocate the development of interdisciplinary standards to support the assessment of this vulnerable and complex group of patients.Item Strategies to prevent dehydration in older people with dementia: A literature review(2019-11-26) Wilson, Kirsty; Dewing, JanDehydration is prevalent in hospitalised older people and residents in care homes, and older people with dementia are particularly at risk. A literature review was conducted to determine the evidence-based interventions used to prevent and manage dehydration in older people with dementia. Three databases were searched for relevant literature: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and MEDLINE, alongside hand-searching. In-depth reading of the 12 studies included in this literature review was undertaken. Five themes were identified in relation to the hydration of older people: physical and social environment; staff communication strategies; access to drinks; drinking vessels; and individual preferences. The evidence suggests that dehydration in older people with dementia is an ongoing concern that needs to be addressed. There is evidence supporting the use of essential nursing interventions to improve hydration, such as coloured cups and verbal prompts, but less is known about the barriers preventing nurses from implementing these evidence-based interventions.Item Invisible cornerstones. A hermeneutic study of the experience of care partners of older people with mental health problems in home care services.(Wiley, 2018-11-16) Anker-Hansen, Camilla; Skovdahl, Kirsti; McCormack, Brendan; Tønnessen, SiriTo explore the lived experiences and support needs of the care partners of older people with mental health problems living at home with assistance from home care services. Care partners face significant challenges in their care role and they often feel unsupported. An understanding of their experiences may help improve home care to support their needs. An exploratory qualitative approach was used. The study is based on the SRQR and COREQ reporting guidelines. In-depth interviews were conducted with six Norwegian care partners from two municipalities. Data were collected during 2012-2013 and 2016. The data were analysed using Gadamer's hermeneutics. Three themes were identified: "invisible cornerstones," "dimensions of collaboration" and "unwanted roles." Few or no routines for collaboration exist between care partners and home care, and the care partners seem to have little knowledge of legal rights. They request more information, spare time and the opportunity to remain in their original family role. However, their main focus is for the patient to receive the necessary help from home care. Home care have restricted resources for meeting these needs and share a sense of powerlessness and lack of influence over their own everyday life with the care partners. There is a need for a systematic, person-centred approach to collaboration. A correlation is necessary between what is communicated at the system level and the means of realising this in practice for home care to meet care partners' needs. [Abstract copyright: © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.]