Homecare workers - an untapped resource in preventing emergency department visits among older individuals? A qualitative interview study from Sweden.

Autor: Bastholm-Rahmner P; Academic Primary Healthcare Center, Region Stockholm, Sweden. pia.bastholm.rahmner@ki.se.; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. pia.bastholm.rahmner@ki.se., Bergqvist M; Academic Primary Healthcare Center, Region Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Nursing, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden., Modig K; Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden., Gustafsson LL; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden., Schmidt-Mende K; Academic Primary Healthcare Center, Region Stockholm, Sweden.; Department of Neurobiology and Care Sciences and Society, Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC geriatrics [BMC Geriatr] 2024 Apr 18; Vol. 24 (1), pp. 350. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 18.
DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-04906-5
Abstrakt: Background: Older individuals with functional decline and homecare are frequent visitors to emergency departments (ED). Homecare workers (HCWs) interact regularly with their clients and may play a crucial role in their well-being. Therefore, this study explores if and how HCWs perceive they may contribute to the prevention of ED visits among their clients.
Methods: In this qualitative study, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCWs from Sweden between July and November 2022. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify barriers and facilitators to prevent ED visits in older home-dwelling individuals.
Results: HCWs want to actively contribute to the prevention of ED visits among clients but observe many barriers that hinder them from doing so. Barriers refer to care organisation such as availability to primary care staff and information transfer; perceived attitudes towards HCWs as co-workers; and client-related factors. Participants suggest that improved communication and collaboration with primary care and discharge information from the ED to homecare services could overcome barriers. Furthermore, they ask for support and geriatric education from primary care nurses which may result in increased respect towards them as competent staff members.
Conclusions: HCWs feel that they have an important role in the health management of older individuals living at home. Still, they feel as an untapped resource in the prevention of ED visits. They deem that improved coordination and communication between primary care, ED, and homecare organisations as well as proactive care would enable them to add significantly to the prevention of ED visits.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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