Papers by Inger Holmström
BMC Nursing, Aug 18, 2021
Background: Telephone triage at emergency medical dispatch centres is often challenging for regis... more Background: Telephone triage at emergency medical dispatch centres is often challenging for registered nurses due to lack of visual cues, lack of knowledge about the patient, and time pressureand making the right decision can be a matter of life and death. Some calls may be more difficult to handle, and more knowledge is needed about these calls to develop education and coping strategies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the perspectives of registered nurses' views about managing difficult calls to emergency medical dispatch centres. Methods: A descriptive design with a qualitative inductive approach was used. Three dispatch centers in mid-Sweden were investigated, covering about 950,000 inhabitants and handling around 114,000 calls per year. Individual interviews were carried out with a purposeful sample of 24 registered nurses. Systematic text condensation was conducted. Results: Seven themes were generated: calls with communication barriers, calls from agitated or rude callers, calls about psychiatric illness, calls from third parties, calls about rare or unclear situations, calls with unknown addresses and calls regarding immediate life-threatening conditions. There was a strong consensus among the registered nurses about which calls were experienced as difficult, with the exception of calls about immediate life-threatening conditions. Some registered nurses thought calls about immediate life-threatening conditions were easy to handle as they simply adhered to protocol, while others described these calls as difficult and were emotionally affected. Conclusion: The registered nurses' descriptions of difficult calls focused on the callers, while their own role, the organisational framework, and leadership were not mentioned. Many types of calls included difficulties, which could be related to the caller, their symptoms, or different circumstances. The registered nurses pointed to language barriers and rude, agitated callers as increasing problems. An investigation of actual emergency calls is warranted to examine the extent and nature of such calls.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, Feb 11, 2020
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Patient Education and Counseling, Jul 1, 2023
Nursing & Health Sciences, Dec 28, 2015
Healthcare-associated infections are the most frequent adverse event in healthcare delivery world... more Healthcare-associated infections are the most frequent adverse event in healthcare delivery worldwide. The theory of planned behavior has proven helpful in hospital hygiene interventions and might be useful in community care. This study explored how medically-responsible nurses in Swedish community care perceived and ranked the impact of factors related to the theory of planned behavior, the factors" probability to change, enhancing the healthcare staff's adherence to infection control guidelines, and identified which theory of planned behavior subquestions should be focused on to enhance adherence to infection control. Medically-responsible nurses (n = 268) in Swedish communities answered a Web-based questionnaire regarding impact and probability to change theory of planned behavior factors in relation to infection control. Four theory of planned behavior factor constructs were found: (i) knowledge and encouragement from management; (ii) access and availability to materials and equipment, and interest among staff; (iii) influence by colleagues; and (iv) workload, and influence by patients and significant others. The theory of planned behavior factors are relevant for infection control in a home-like environment, and findings could be used as a basis for interventions enhancing hygiene in community care.
Supportive Care in Cancer, Mar 24, 2006
Introduction: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common malignancy in the world. Fifty percen... more Introduction: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common malignancy in the world. Fifty percent of the patients can be cured by surgery, radiotherapy or a combination approach. Head and neck cancer is life-threatening, and treatment may leave the patient with visible facial disfigurements and impairment of functions such as speech and eating. This affects not only the patient, but may arouse difficult feelings in the treatment staff. Dental personnel are involved in all facets of treatment, yet they have no specific training in cancer care. Background: The aim of this study was to describe the variation in ways dental personnel understand and experience the encounter with head and neck cancer patients, as the way of understanding a certain phenomenon is judged to be fundamental to the way we act and form our beliefs. Methods: Twenty members of hospital dental teams were interviewed. The interviews focused on experiences of the encounter with head and neck cancer patients. A qualitative research approach, phenomenography, was used in analysing the interviews. The encounter was perceived in three qualitatively different ways: as an act of caring, as a serious and responsible task and as an overwhelming emotional situation. The results indicate that hospital dental personnel are not able to lean on education and professional training in finding ways of dealing with situations with strong emotional impact. This has implications for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer, as well as education of dental personnel.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, Feb 1, 2009
Title. Telenurses' understanding of work: detective or educator? Aim. This paper is a report of a... more Title. Telenurses' understanding of work: detective or educator? Aim. This paper is a report of a study to describe the different ways of understanding work among a group of Swedish telenurses. Background. Telenursing is an expanding service in many western countries and telenursing work is likely to be understood in a variety of ways. The way in which a person understands work influences how work is performed. Telenursing demands high levels of competence. Method. A qualitative interview study was conducted during 2004-2005. Twelve of the 20 telenurses working at a call centre in Sweden were interviewed, five of them twice because of organizational changes. The 17 interviews were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. Findings. Five different categories were identified in the data: (1) Assess, refer and give advice to the caller (2) Support the caller (3) Strengthen the caller (4) Teach the caller and (5) Facilitate the caller's learning. The first category can be seen as a base for telenursing work and was the only category used by some telenurses. The second category has components of traditional caring and the third is a coaching function. The fourth category contains a teaching component, but the fifth is the only category where the caller's learning is in focus. Telenurses who reported the fifth way also included all other ways of understanding work. Hence, this seems to be the most comprehensive way of understanding work. Conclusion. The categories together constitute a telenursing 'workmap'. This 'workmap' can be used for reflection to expand telenurses' current understanding of work, and hence promote competence development. Telenurses need to be aware of their role in public health education.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, May 1, 2009
Patient Education and Counseling, May 1, 2010
The concepts of patient-centeredness and patient empowerment offer opportunities for patients to ... more The concepts of patient-centeredness and patient empowerment offer opportunities for patients to increase their autonomy and involvement in their care and treatment. However, these concepts appear to be understood in different ways by professional groups involved in healthcare and research. To optimize understanding there is a need to create a common language. To explore and compare the concepts of patient-centeredness and patient empowerment, and clarify a possible relationship between the two from the perspective of the encounter between patients and their healthcare providers. Methods: Concept analysis approach in which the concepts are compared based on literature review. Results: Patient-centeredness can be the goal of an encounter between patient and caregiver. As a process, it is of great value in the process of patient empowerment. Patient empowerment appears to be broader than patient-centeredness, and may place greater demands on caregivers and the organisation of healthcare. Conclusion: Patient-centeredness and patient empowerment are complementary concepts which do not oppose one-another. Patient empowerment can be achieved by patient-centeredness, but patients can also empower themselves. Practice implications: Clarification of patient-centeredness and patient empowerment can facilitate their use by those involved in healthcare, improve the quality of healthcare, and aid future research.
Nursing open, Apr 20, 2018
In Sweden, nurse anaesthetists are registered nurses with a 1-year speciality education in anaest... more In Sweden, nurse anaesthetists are registered nurses with a 1-year speciality education in anaesthetic nursing. They work rather independently, in contrast to many countries, where the nurse anaesthetist's role is more to assist the physician (Larsson & Holmström, 2013). In Sweden there were 10,550 nurse anaesthetists registered 2014 (Socialstyrelsen 2014). Nurse anaesthetists meet patients of different ages in their professional practice. A particularly vulnerable group of patients to anaesthetize and care for are children. Anaesthetizing children might push nurse anaesthetists' professional competence to the edge, both technically and emotionally. Factors which can cause stress for nurse anaesthetists when caring for children include intubation difficulties, staff shortages and/or high workload (Perry, 2005). It is important that nurse anaesthetists have knowledge of children's anatomy, breathing, circulation and pharmacokinetics, as these are different compared with adults (Clarke, 2010). It is also every child's right to be listened to and get correct information (UNICEF, 1989) when in need of health care. This can present a dilemma, for instance in situations where a child needs to be anaesthetized. It important that nurse anaesthetists instil confidence and trust in children and their parents (Lindwall &
British Journal of General Practice, Nov 1, 2010
Background Balint groups (BGs) are a means of enhancing competence in the physician-patient relat... more Background Balint groups (BGs) are a means of enhancing competence in the physician-patient relationship and are also regarded as beneficial for GPs' mental health. However, voluntary BGs are still few, some members terminate their participation, and problems are reported in obligatory groups in residency programmes. This raises questions about possible negative aspects of BGs. Aim To examine difficulties in BGs as experienced by BG leaders. Design of study Qualitative study using interviews. Setting Eight BG leaders from five countries were interviewed. Method The interviews focused on the informants' experiences of difficulties in their groups and were analysed with a systematic text-condensation method. Results Three categories of difficulties emerged from the analysis: 1) the individual physician having needs, vulnerabilities, and defences; 2) the group (including the leader) having problems of hidden agendas, rivalries, and frames; and 3) the surrounding environment defining the conditions of the group. BGs were found to fit into modern theories of small groups as complex systems. They are submitted to group dynamics that are sometimes malicious, and are exposed to often tough environmental conditions. Conclusion Professionally conducted BGs seem to be a gentle, efficient method to train physicians, but with limitations. Participation of a member demands psychological stability and an open mind. BGs need support from the leadership of healthcare organisations in order to exist.
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2007
Stroke patients with aphasia commonly suffer from distress related to their language deficit. The... more Stroke patients with aphasia commonly suffer from distress related to their language deficit. They are often unable to express what they experience during their rehabilitation. Hence, the aim of this study was to reveal the meaning of rehabilitation to an aphasic person. With an approach based on the philosophy of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, two open-ended interviews were analysed through the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological (EPP) method. The essential structure of the meaning of rehabilitation to the informant was that he lived as being responsible in a dichotomised situation. The informant had to adapt his behaviour, thereby destroying his chances of normal interactions; he was supposed to train in a goaloriented way and believe in recuperation, but at the same time, he had to prepare himself and his next of kin for a failure. The defined impairment of aphasia misled both the informant and health care professionals to focus only language therapy, hence leaving the informant unsupported in other important aspects of the rehabilitation.
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, Oct 1, 2011
We investigated satisfaction with a Swedish telenursing service, and the healthcare seeking behav... more We investigated satisfaction with a Swedish telenursing service, and the healthcare seeking behaviour among callers who received a less urgent level of healthcare than they expected. A postal questionnaire was sent to a random selection of callers (n=273) to Swedish Healthcare Direct in October 2008. The "cases" were 18 callers where the telenurse recommended a lower level of health care than the caller expected and who were not in complete agreement with the nurse. The "controls" were 22 callers who either received a lower recommendation, or were in disagreement with the recommendation. There were no differences between cases, controls and other callers regarding background factors or the telenurse classification of emergency. However, both cases and controls considered their need for health care as more urgent than the other callers. An independent test of the nurses' reception, ability to listen and to take notice of the callers' health problem, showed that nurses who had served cases, had received a significantly lower rating than other nurses. For nurses who had served controls, there was no such difference in rating. Cases and controls had fewer subsequent care visits than other callers, in the three days following the call, although the proportion of emergency visits was higher among cases and controls compared to other callers. If the caller and the nurse disagree about the nurse's recommendations, the consequence can be a dissatisfied caller and more visits to unnecessary high levels of health care. Further training of the nurses may improve the telenurse service.
International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2019
Background: Registered nurses' work-related stress, dissatisfaction and burnout are some of the p... more Background: Registered nurses' work-related stress, dissatisfaction and burnout are some of the problems in the healthcare and that negatively affect healthcare quality and patient care. A prerequisite for sustained high quality at work is that the registered nurses are motivated. High motivation has been proved to lead to better working results. The theory of inner work life describes the dynamic interplay between a person's perceptions, emotions and motivation and the three key factors for a good working life: nourishment, progress and catalysts. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore registered nurses'' workday events in relation to inner work life theory, to better understand what influences registered nurses to remain in work. Design: A qualitative explorative study with an ethnographic approach. Conclusion: This study has a number of implications for future work and research on creating an attractive workplace for registered nurses. Working independently, with colleagues from the same profession, integrated with learning, visible progress, and receiving feedback from the work itself, contribute to work motivation.
Nursing & Health Sciences, Jun 15, 2017
Telephone nursing services are expanding globally. Swedish Healthcare Direct is the largest healt... more Telephone nursing services are expanding globally. Swedish Healthcare Direct is the largest healthcare provider in Sweden. This paper provides a comprehensive understanding of telephone nursing, as reflected by research on Swedish national telephone nursing, and discusses the findings in relation to international literature. A descriptive, mixed-studies literature review was conducted. Twenty-four articles from January 2003 to April 2015 were identified from PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL, and included. The issues explored in this study are how telephone nursing is perceived by callers, telephone nurses, and managers, and what characterizes such calls. Callers value reassurance, support, respect and satisfaction and involvement in decisions can increase their adherence. The telephone nurses' perspective focused on problems and ethical dilemmas, communication, the decision support tool, and working tasks. The managers' perspective focused on nursing work goals and malpractice claims. Concerning call characteristics, authentic calls, incident reports, and threats to patient safety were considered. Telephone nursing seems safe, but gender can play a role in calls. Future research on caller access, equity, and efficiency, healthcare cost-effectiveness, distribution, and patient safety is needed.
Nursing & Health Sciences, Mar 1, 2007
Telenurses at call centers use decision aid software programs to offer triage recommendations and... more Telenurses at call centers use decision aid software programs to offer triage recommendations and self-care advice to the general public. Decision aid programs are intended to support medical safety but were suggested by telenurses to be a hindrance to the dialogue. The aim of this study was to explore the use of decision aid software programs for telenursing, from the perspective of the users. A qualitative, descriptive approach was used. Twelve telenurses in Sweden were interviewed twice. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Four themes were found: support for assessment but not for the decision; inconsistency between actual practice and the decision aid software; limited support for learning and information; and communication challenges and software programs. The software programs were a support for assessment, rather than decision-making, assuring the nurses that the relevant questions were asked. They were not fully adapted to current clinical practice, focusing mainly on acute conditions. Nurses worked to a large extent with self-care advice, often over-riding the recommendations made.
Patient Education and Counseling, Nov 1, 2004
In this study, we examined Balint group participants' sense of control and satisfaction in their ... more In this study, we examined Balint group participants' sense of control and satisfaction in their work situation and their attitudes towards caring for patients with psychosomatic problems. Forty-one GPs filled in a questionnaire with a 10-point visual analogue scale. Of these, 20 had participated in Balint groups for more than one year and 21 were a reference group. The Balint physicians reported better control of their work situation (e.g. taking coffee breaks and participating in decision making), thought less often that the patient should not have come for consultation or that psychosomatic patients were a time-consuming burden, and were less inclined to refer patients or take unneeded tests to terminate the consultation with the patient. These results might indicate higher work-related satisfaction and better doctor-patient relationship.
BMC Nursing, Dec 1, 2021
Background: Nursing care should be respectful of and unrestricted by patients' age, ethnicity, ge... more Background: Nursing care should be respectful of and unrestricted by patients' age, ethnicity, gender, dis/abilities or social status, and such values should be taught to nursing students. Nursing teachers are crucial as role models, and their values are essential. In telephone nursing, only age, sex and ethnicity are known to the registered nurses, which can be challenging. The aim of this study was to explore awareness of discrimination and inequity in telephone nursing among nursing teachers. Methods: A study specific survey was filled in by 135 nursing teachers from three universities in Sweden. The survey included short descriptions of 12 fictive persons who differed in age, ethnicity and sex and with questions about their estimated life situation. The teachers' estimations of life situation were ranked from lowest probability to highest probability. A 'good life index' was constructed and calculated for each fictive person. It included quality of life, power over one's own life and experience of discrimination. Results: The results indicate that the nursing teachers were aware of how power and age, ethnicity and sex are related; that is, they were aware of discrimination and inequity in healthcare. The persons assessed to be most likely to lead a good life were males of Swedish origin, followed by females of Swedish origin. Persons with non-European origin were estimated to have the highest probability of experiencing discrimination. Conclusions: The nursing teachers were aware of discrimination and inequity in healthcare. They were able to estimate a fictive person's life situation based on the limited knowledge of age, ethnicity and sex. This is important, as their values are pivotal in theoretical and practical nursing education.
Swedish health care is currently facing problems, such as lack of financial resources, staff shor... more Swedish health care is currently facing problems, such as lack of financial resources, staff shortage and dissatisfaction among patients and professionals. Patients’ dissatisfaction was the point o ...
Cancer Nursing, Nov 1, 2016
Background: Breast cancer survivors make up a growing population facing treatment that poses long... more Background: Breast cancer survivors make up a growing population facing treatment that poses long-standing adverse effects including chemotherapy-related body function changes and/or pain. There is limited knowledge of patients' lived experiences of chemotherapy-induced pain (CHIP). Objective: The aim of this study was to explore CHIP and any long-standing pain experiences in the lifeworld of breast cancer survivors. Methods: Fifteen women participated in a follow-up interview a year after having experienced CHIP. They were interviewed from a lifeworld perspective; the interviews were analyzed through guided phenomenology reflection. Results: A past perspective: CHIP is often described in metaphors, leads to changes in a patient's lifeworld, and impacts lived time. The women become entirely dependent on others but at the same time feel isolated and alone. Existential pain was experienced as increased vulnerability. Present perspective: Pain engages same parts of the body, but at a lower intensity than during CHIP. The pain creates time awareness. Expected normality in relationships/daily life has not yet been achieved, and a painful existence emerges in-between health and illness. Future perspective: There are expectations of pain continuing, and there is insecurity regarding whom to turn to in such cases. A painful awareness emerges about one's own and others' fragile existence. Conclusions: Experiencing CHIP can impact the lifeworld of women with a history of breast cancer. After CHIP,
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Mar 27, 2007
According to Swedish law, every county is required to have a local drug and therapeutics committe... more According to Swedish law, every county is required to have a local drug and therapeutics committee (DTC) to contribute to safe and cost-effective drug use. The law presents merely a framework and gives no detailed instructions addressing, for example, organisation and methods. The aim of this study is to explore the variation of conceptions of the role of the DTCs among committee Chairs and to compare the results with an earlier study. Data were collected by questionnaires and telephone interviews with committee chairs, which were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. Four conceptions were identified, namely: traditional, patient-aware, influential, holistic and cooperative, which all involved prescribers. In one conception the DTC acted as an expert to decision-makers. One conception included the notion that cooperation across the bureaucratic borders was important. Patients were involved in two conceptions. Comparison with the earlier study showed a trend toward higher patient awareness and a higher agreement on DTC goals with an increased focus on quality issues. This study demonstrates an alternative research method bringing in new perspectives when exploring activities within healthcare. Patient involvement in the work of the DTCs is increasing, but should be further explored and developed.
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Papers by Inger Holmström