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Patients' experiences of frequent encounters with a rheumatology nurse—A tight control study including patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Author(s) -
Sjö AnnSofi,
Bergsten Ulrika
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
musculoskeletal care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1557-0681
pISSN - 1478-2189
DOI - 10.1002/msc.1348
Subject(s) - medicine , rheumatoid arthritis , competence (human resources) , nursing , qualitative research , disease , family medicine , psychology , social psychology , social science , sociology
Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is treated with both pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods. The treatment works well for patients who are knowledgeable about their disease and situation. However, this may be different for others as, among other things, it depends on how well informed the patients are in relation to their condition. Available research primarily focuses on patients in remission. One way of supporting and strengthening the group who experience a lack of well‐being due to their disease and providing them with increased knowledge about their situation can be to give them access to a nurse‐led clinic based on person‐centred care. Aim The aim of the study was to describe the experience of patients with RA attending person‐centred, nurse‐led clinics over a 12‐month period. Methods A qualitative method was employed to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon. Fifteen participants were interviewed, and the text of the interviews was analysed using the phenomenographic method. Results The analysis resulted in three categories that described participants' experiences of their encounters with a nurse. The three categories describe a process with interrelated concepts: first, Encountering competence , followed by Experiencing a sustainable relationship and, finally, Making a personal journey . Conclusion Patients with RA who had frequent meetings with a nurse experienced being strengthened on several levels and having gained increased knowledge about their disease. The person‐centred approach made them feel that they had been met on their own level, in accordance with their needs and level of knowledge.