Individualized care in a Finnish healthcare organization

Exploring the medical decision-making patterns and influencing factors among the general Chinese public: a binary logistic regression analysis

OBJECTIVE

With the ongoing evolution of the healthcare system and shifts in cultural paradigms, there is a pressing need to delve into the medical decision-making behaviors of general Chinese public and understand their underlying motivations. This research seeks to elucidate the prevailing tendencies in these decision-making processes and to empirically validate the pivotal factors that shape their choices, offering valuable insights for healthcare policymakers and institutions.

METHOD

A comprehensive survey was administered to 2,696 Chinese residents to examine their medical decision-making patterns. These patterns were classified into two primary categories: Unilateral Decision-making (Doctor-dominant, Family-centric, and Patient-driven subtypes) and Collaborative Decision-making (Doctor-led, Doctor-Patient, Patient-Family, and Doctor-Patient-Family subtypes). Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to empirically pinpoint the significant factors influencing these decision-making frameworks.

RESULTS

The study's analysis reveals distinct preferences in medical decision-making among Chinese residents. In the Collaborative Decision-making category, chosen by 70.81% of participants, the subtypes are as follows: Doctor-led (29.90%), Doctor-Patient (13.54%), Patient-Family (2.93%), and Doctor-Patient-Family (24.44%). The Unilateral Decision-making, preferred by 29.19%, includes Doctor-dominant (23.22%), Family-centric (1.74%), and Patient-driven (4.23%) models. The preference for Collaborative Decision-making is associated with higher educational levels, specific marital statuses (particularly married but childless), and choices of rural residents' basic medical insurance or occupational basic medical insurance. In contrast, Unilateral Decision-making correlates with males, individuals with religious beliefs, certain occupational roles (like civil servants), and holders of commercial or publicly funded medical insurance.

CONCLUSION

This study elucidates the complex interplay of socio-cultural and individual determinants shaping medical decision-making in China. The findings reveal a marked inclination towards collaborative models, closely linked to educational level, marital status, and specific insurance types, reflecting an evolving trend towards participatory healthcare. Simultaneously, the persistence of unilateral models, influenced by gender, religious beliefs, and occupational roles, highlights the heterogeneity within Chinese healthcare preferences. These insights are crucial for policymakers and healthcare practitioners, underscoring the need for adaptable, culturally attuned healthcare frameworks that cater to this diversity, thereby enhancing patient engagement and healthcare efficacy.

Individualised care in Flemish and Dutch hospitals: Comparing patients' and nurses' perceptions

BACKGROUND

Patient-centred care has been recognised as vital for today's healthcare quality. This type of care puts patients at the centre, contributing to positive patient outcomes such as patient autonomy. Empirical research comparing nurses' and patients' perceptions of the support and provision of patient-centred care is limited and focuses solely on nurses and patients working and staying on surgical wards.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Comparing patients' and nurses' perceptions of patient-centred care on different types of hospital wards, and exploring if patient empowerment, health literacy, and certain sociodemographic and context-related variables are associated with these perceptions.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional design.

METHODS

Data were collected in ten Flemish (February-June 2016) and two Dutch (December 2014-May 2015) hospitals using the Individualised Care Scale (ICS). A linear mixed model was fitted. Data from 845 patients and 569 nurses were analysed. As the ICS was used to measure the concept of patient-centred care, it is described using the term 'individualised care.'

RESULTS

Nurses perceived that they supported and provided individualised care more compared with patients as they scored significantly higher on the ICS compared with patients. Patients with higher empowerment scores, higher health literacy, a degree lower than bachelor, a longer hospital stay, and patients who were employed and who were admitted to Dutch hospitals scored significantly higher on some of the ICS subscales/subsections. Nurses who were older and more experienced and those working in Dutch hospitals, regional hospitals and maternity wards scored significantly higher on some of the ICS subscales/subsections.

CONCLUSION

Nurses perceived that they supported and provided individualised care more compared with patients.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Creating a shared understanding towards the support and provision of individualised care should be a priority as this could generate more effective nursing care that takes into account the individuality of the patient.

The Dutch Individualised Care Scale for patients and nurses - a psychometric validation study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Translating and psychometrically assessing the Individualised Care Scale (ICS) for patients and nurses for the Flemish and Dutch healthcare context.

BACKGROUND

Individualised care interventions have positive effects on health outcomes. However, there are no valid and reliable instruments for evaluating individualised care for the Flemish and Dutch healthcare context.

DESIGN

Psychometric validation study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

In Flemish hospitals, data were collected between February and June 2016, and in Dutch hospitals, data were collected between December 2014 and May 2015. Nurses with direct patient contact and a working experience of minimum 6 months on the wards could participate. Patient inclusion criteria were being an adult, being mentally competent, having an expected hospital stay of minimum 1 day, and being able to speak and read the Dutch language. In total, 845 patients and 569 nurses were included.

METHODS

The ICS was translated into Dutch using a forward-backward translation process. Minimal linguistic adaptations to the Dutch ICS were made to use the scale as a Flemish equivalent. Omega, Cronbach's Alpha, mean inter-item correlations and standardised subscale correlations established the reliability and confirmatory factor analysis the construct validity of the ICS.

RESULTS

Internal consistency using Omega (Cronbach's Alpha) ranged from 0.83 to 0.96 (0.82-0.95) for the ICS-Nurse and from 0.88 to 0.96 (0.87-0.96) for the ICS-Patient. Fit indices of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good model fit, except for the root mean square error of approximation, which indicated only moderate model fit.

CONCLUSION

The Dutch version of the ICS showed acceptable psychometric performance, supporting its use for the Dutch and Flemish healthcare context.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Knowledge of nurses' and patients' perceptions on individualised care will aid to target areas in the Dutch and Flemish healthcare context in which work needs to be undertaken to provide individualised nursing care.

Nonpharmacological Management of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: What Works, in What Circumstances, and Why?

Objective

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) refer to the often distressing, noncognitive symptoms of dementia. BPSD appear in up to 90% of persons with dementia and can cause serious complications. Reducing the use of antipsychotic medications to treat BPSD is an international priority. This review addresses the following questions: What nonpharmacological interventions work to manage BPSD? And, in what circumstances do they work and why?

Method

A realist review was conducted to identify and explain the interactions among context, mechanism, and outcome. We searched electronic databases for empirical studies that reported a formal evaluation of nonpharmacological interventions to decrease BPSD.

Results

Seventy-four articles met the inclusion criteria. Three mechanisms emerged as necessary for sustained effective outcomes: the caring environment, care skill development and maintenance, and individualization of care. We offer hypotheses about how different contexts account for the success, failure, or partial success of these mechanisms within the interventions.

Discussion

Nonpharmacological interventions for BPSD should include consideration of both the physical and the social environment, ongoing education/training and support for care providers, and individualized approaches that promote self-determination and continued opportunities for meaning and purpose for persons with dementia.

The Influence of Supportive Supervisory Practices and Health Care Aides' Self-Determination on the Provision of Person-Centered Care in Long-Term Care Facilities

Person-centred care (PCC) is recognized as best practice in long-term care (LTC). Using a cross-sectional design, we examined the relationship between supportive supervisory practices and health care aides' (HCAs) self-determination on HCAs' perceived ability to provide PCC. A total of 131 HCAs from four LTC facilities participated in the study. There were strong, positive associations between HCAs' self-determination and their perceived ability to provide PCC, r = .59, p < .0001, and how supportive their supervisors were, r = .50, p < .0001. Mediation analysis using structural equation modeling found the direct effect of self-determination on PCC was 73% of its total effect on PCC; its indirect effect mediated through supervisory support was 27% of its total effect on PCC. Improving supportive supervisory relationships that encourage and enable HCAs' self-determination in LTC settings may be an important and effective means by which to increase the provision of PCC.

Staff-based measures of individualized care for persons with dementia in long-term care facilities

Although individualized care for persons with dementia in long-term care institutions has become accepted as best practice, there have not been easy-to-use, multi-item reliable measures of the concept for scientific research or for administrative use. Following review of the literature, consultation with experts in the field, and direct observation within long-term care facilities, three domains of individualized care (knowing the person/resident, resident autonomy and choice, communication — staff-to-staff and staff-to-resident) were chosen as appropriate for the development of multi-item paper-and-pencil staff completion scales. These scales are presented in this article, including, where appropriate, shorter scales derived from factor analyses. The findings suggest that these domains of individualized care lend themselves to brief multi-item measures and that not all conceptual domains of individualized care co-occur in practice. Further, supplemental staff training in individualized care practice may be warranted.

Measuring family perceived involvement in individualized long-term care

Although family involvement is considered an important aspect of care for residents with dementia in long-term care facilities, measurement is lacking. The purpose of this study is to present a multi-item reliable measurement instrument assessing family perceived involvement. Literature reviews, observations within facilities, iterative consultations with an expert panel and extensive pilot testing of items for family perceived involvement were undertaken, to establish face and content validity. Two scales were developed: family perceived involvement and family assessment of importance of their involvement in individualized care for their resident relative. Strong evidence of face and content validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were established for both scales. Short versions of the original scales were derived via factor analysis. These instruments provide researchers and facilities with the ability to measure both degree of family perceived involvement and the importance the family places on that involvement using a relatively brief set of statements.

Factors influencing hospitalized patients' perception of individualized nursing care: a cross-sectional study

Background

Individualized care is a cornerstone of patient-centered nursing care. To foster individualized care, influencing factors should be known. The aim of this study was to identify the individual and organizational factors influencing hospitalized patients’ perception of individualized care.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted of 606 patients from 20 wards from five hospitals across Germany. Individualized care and potential influencing factors were assessed via structured questionnaires. To identify influencing factors, we applied a hierarchical linear model with two levels.

Results

Self-rated health, length of ward stay, educational level and shared decision-making process about nursing care were perceived to influence individualized care. A higher rating of health and longer ward stay correlated with improved perceptions of individualized nursing care. In addition, an educational level of nine or fewer years and a perceived shared decision-making process about nursing care positively influenced the perception of nursing care as being tailored to individual needs.

Conclusions

Several factors influence patients’ perception of individualized care. However, only the decision-making process can be actively influenced by nurses. Therefore, nurses should be encouraged to promote shared decision-making regarding patients’ nursing care.

Trial number

DRKS00005174 (Date of registration: 2013/08/01).

Family Involvement in Nursing Homes: Are Family Caregivers Getting What They Want?

The provision of person-centered care for nursing home residents with dementia suggests the need for family caregiver involvement. In this article, we argue that optimal family involvement differs by family caregiver and therefore depends on the degree to which family caregivers consider their own involvement to be important. In this Canadian study, we compare the importance that 135 family caregivers of residents with dementia place on 20 kinds of involvement with the degree to which they perceive opportunities for involvement. Family Involvement Congruence Scores are calculated in three ways: those for whom involvement is important, those for whom involvement is not important, and an overall congruence score. Congruence scores varied by involvement type. These scores show promise for use in future research on family caregiver involvement and as tools for use by facilities as they endeavor to meet family caregiver expectations for involvement.

Nurses' views of shortcomings in patent care encounters in one hospital in Sweden

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

To describe nurses' views of shortcomings in patient care encounters in one hospital in Sweden.

BACKGROUND

Shortcomings in encounters in healthcare have increased during recent years. Dissatisfaction with encounters in healthcare can affect patients' experiences of dignity, health and well-being.

DESIGN

A qualitative design was used in the study.

METHODS

Three focus group discussions with 15 nurses were conducted. The nurses worked in five different wards. The focus group discussions were subjected to a thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

The results are presented in two themes. The first theme, 'Disregard for the patient's unique nursing needs', describes that information without consideration of the patient's needs, and nurses not being completely present in the meeting with the patient affected healthcare encounters and experiences of quality of care. In the second theme, 'Difficulty managing obstacles', nurses described care situations over which they could not always prevail due to lack of time and/or lack of awareness of the patient's vulnerability.

CONCLUSION

The findings illustrate the importance of nurses and their approaches to patients. The nurse's attitude is important for the patient's experiences of participation, security, dignity, and well-being. The findings also illustrate the importance of routines in the healthcare organisation that support and facilitate positive encounters between patients, their close relatives and the healthcare staff.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Nurses require understanding, presence and commitment in their relationships to every unique patient, and their goal should be to adopt interventions with regard to positive healthcare encounters based on each patient's experiences of good nursing care.

The German version of the Individualized Care Scale - assessing validity and reliability

AIM

To assess validity and reliability of the German version of the Individualized Care Scale (ICS).

BACKGROUND

Individualized nursing care plays a pivotal role in establishing patient-centered care. To assess individualized nursing care and to compare it in different settings and countries, valid and reliable instruments are needed. No psychometric-tested instrument for comparing individualized nursing care with other countries is available in Germany.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Data were collected between September 2013 and June 2014 from 606 patients in 20 wards in five hospitals across Germany. Unidimensionality of the ICS scales ICSA (patients' views on how individuality is supported through nursing interventions) and ICSB (patients' perceptions of individualized nursing care) was analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha. The Smoliner Scale (patients' perceptions of the decision-making process in nursing care) and results from participating hospitals' assessment of the nursing care delivery systems were used to assess known-groups validity and concurrent validity.

RESULTS

Fit indices of confirmatory factor analysis indicate unidimensionality of the ICSA (Comparative Fit Index: 0.92; Tucker-Lewis Index: 0.902; root mean square error of approximation: 0.09; standardized root mean square residual: 0.05) and the ICSB (Comparative Fit Index: 0.91; Tucker-Lewis Index: 0.89; root mean square error of approximation: 0.09; standardized root mean square residual: 0.05). Internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha was 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0.94-0.95) for ICSA and 0.93 (95% confidence interval: 0.92-0.94) for the ICSB. Concurrent validity was established by a significant relationship between the Smoliner Scale and ICSA (r=0.66; P<0.01) and ICSB (r=0.72; P<0.01). Known-groups validity was approved by ICSA/ICSB score differences related to nursing care delivery systems and patients' perceptions of decision-making style.

CONCLUSION

The German version of the ICS is deemed a valid and reliable instrument for use in practice and research with hospitalized patients.

Patients' Point of View about Nurses' Support of Individualized Nursing Care in Training Hospitals Affiliated with Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

INTRODUCTION

Individualized nursing care is the key element in quality of nursing care. In fact, it changes all standardized nursing procedures and activities. In addition, it tailored nursing activities with unique peculiarity of each patient. Focusing on patient during care process is one main reason for supporting individualized care. Individual differences among patients in terms of their health, illness and needs which emphasize on providing individualized care. This research aimed to demonstrate patients' point of view about nurses' support of individualized care.

METHODS

A descriptive study conducted with participation of 400 being discharged patients from internal and surgical units in teaching hospitals of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Proportional stratified random sampling method was used. Data was collected by interviewing with patients using Suhonen Individualized Care Scale, after assessing its content validity and reliability with Chronbach's alpha method. Data analysis were done by using SPSS ver. 13.

RESULTS

The mean of patients' point of view about nurses' support of individualized care was 2.60 (1.14). The results showed the mean of support for clinical situation 2.61 (1.27), support for personal life situation 2.36 (1.28), and support for decisional control over care 2.77 (1.17). Comparing aspects of support showed that support for decisional control over care was the highest and the lowest was support for personal life situation.

CONCLUSION

According to results of the study and comparison with other researches in other countries, it is recommended that nursing care planners pay more attention to the aspects of nursing support based on individuals.

Measuring patients' perceptions of patient-centered care: a systematic review of tools for family medicine

PURPOSE

Patient-centered care is widely acknowledged as a core value in family medicine. In this systematic review, we aimed to identify and compare instruments, subscales, or items assessing patients' perceptions of patient-centered care in family medicine.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature review using the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases covering 1980 through April 2009, with a specific search strategy for each database. The search strategy was supplemented with searching by hand and expert suggestions. We looked for articles meeting all of the following criteria: (1) describing self-administered instruments measuring patient perceptions of patient-centered care; (2) reporting quantitative or psychometric results of development or validation; (3) being relevant to an ambulatory family medicine context. The quality of each article retained was assessed using a modified version of the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy. Instrument' items were mapped to dimensions of a patient-centered care conceptual framework.

RESULTS

Of the 3,045 articles identified, 90 were examined in detail, and 26, covering 13 instruments, met our inclusion criteria. Two instruments (5 articles) were dedicated to patient-centered care: the Patient Perception of Patient-Centeredness and the Consultation Care Measure, and 11 instruments (21 articles) included relevant subscales or items.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2 instruments dedicated to patient-centered care address key dimensions but are visit-based, limiting their applicability for the study of care processes over time, such as chronic illness management. Relevant items from the 11 other instruments provide partial coverage of the concept, but these instruments were not designed to provide a specific assessment of patient-centered care.

Hearing what older consumers say about participation in their care

A study exploring older people's participation in their care in acute hospital settings reveals both consumers' and nurses' views of participation. Using a critical ethnographic design, data were collected through participant observation and interviews from consumers in acute care settings who were over 70 years old and nurses who were caring from them. Thematic analysis identified that older people equated participation with being independent. Importantly, consumers highlighted the complexity of the notion of participation when describing situations where they were unable to participate in their own care. The difficulties in communicating with health professionals and an inability to administer their own medications in inpatient settings were identified as barriers to participation. Understanding what consumers believe participation means provides a starting point for developing meaningful partnerships between health professionals and people receiving care.

Individualized care, quality of life and satisfaction with nursing care

AIMS

This paper reports a study of the maintenance of individualized care from surgical patients' point of view and examines associations between individualized care, patient satisfaction with nursing care, and health-related quality of life. Rationale. There is preliminary evidence that individualized care is effective from patients' point of view, and is associated with improved patient outcomes, such as patient satisfaction and quality of life. However, individualized care has mainly been studied from the vantage-point of nurses' experiences.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study the data were collected with surgical adult patients (n = 279, response rate 93%) in surgical wards in Finland using self-administered questionnaires including the Individualized Care Scales, Patient-Satisfaction Scale, and Finnish versions of the Nottingham Health Profile and EuroQol 5D. Associations between individualized care, satisfaction with care and health-related quality of life were examined. Cronbach's alpha values and item analysis were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instruments, especially the Individualized Care Scales.

RESULTS

The more often patients felt they received support for individuality through specific nursing interventions, the higher the individuality of care received. Secondly, the more individualized patients regarded their care, the higher the level of reported patient satisfaction with nursing care. However, the correlation between individualized care and health-related quality of life was fairly low, albeit statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Individualized care may produce positive outcomes, such as patient satisfaction. Further research is needed to explore individualized care in relation to health-related quality of life.

Development and psychometric properties of the Individualized Care Scale

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

In this study we describe the development of the Individualized Care Scale (ICS) and evaluate its validity, psychometric properties and feasibility. The ICS was designed to measure patients' views on how individuality is supported through specific nursing interventions (ICA) and how they perceive individuality in their own care (ICB) during hospitalization.

METHOD

Three different data sets were collected among patients being discharged from hospital (n1 = 203, n2 = 279, n3 = 454). This bipartite 38-item ICS promises to be a brief, timely, easy to administer and useful self-completion measure for evaluating clinical nursing practice from the patient's point of view.

RESULTS

The findings supported the internal consistency reliability of the ICS (alpha 0.94 for ICA and ICB 0.93) and the three subscales (alphas 0.85-0.90). Item analysis supported the item construction of each scale. Content validity was furthered by a critical literature review and four expert analyses. Principal component analysis (Promax with Kaiser normalization) among earlier factor analyses supported construct validity by generating a three-factor solution which accounted for 65% of the variance in the ICA and 61% in the ICB. Pearson's correlation coefficients were at least 0.88 between the subscales and the total domain ICA or ICB.

CONCLUSIONS

The ICS has demonstrated promise as a tool for measuring patients' evaluations of their hospital experience and individuality in care.

Patients' perceptions of nursing care in the hospital setting

BACKGROUND

Patient satisfaction and patient satisfaction with nursing care data are routinely collected as an indicator of the quality of services delivered. Despite the widespread collection and reporting of these data, the theoretical basis of patient satisfaction and patient satisfaction with nursing care remains unclear. Without a clear theoretical base, interpretation of patient satisfaction findings is hampered and the entire line of patient satisfaction research is of questionable validity. It has been suggested that, to understand patient satisfaction, patient perceptions of their care must first be understood.

AIM

The aim of this study was to discover patients' perceptions of the nursing care they receive in the hospital setting.

METHOD

Grounded theory method was used in this study of eight medical-surgical patients recently discharged from an academic medical centre in the south-eastern United States of America (USA). Participants were interviewed and the verbatim transcripts analysed using the constant comparative method.

FINDINGS

Four categories of patient perceptions of their nursing care emerged from the data. 'Seeing the individual patient' captures the unique nature of the nursing care experience for each patient. 'Explaining' represents the informal explanations given by nursing staff as they provide care. 'Responding' refers to both the character and timeliness of nursing staff's responses to patient requests or symptoms. 'Watching over' represents the surveillance activities of nursing staff.

CONCLUSIONS

The categories identified in this study may be used in efforts to further develop a formal theory of patient satisfaction with nursing care. These categories should also be tested with patients possessing a wider range of characteristics, to assess the transferability of the findings.

How Japanese nurses provide care: a practice based on continuously knowing the patient

AIM

Criticisms of the nursing process as a problem-solving approach have emerged recently. This study aimed to identify and describe a way of nursing based on the clinical practice of selected nurses in Japan.

METHODS

Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and observations at one 300-bed Japanese hospital in 1999. The purposive sample consisted of 24 female nurses. Data analysis occurred simultaneously with data collection, and questioning and constant comparison were used for data analysis. Codes were clustered into categories and relationships among these were identified. In the final stage of the analysis, two group interviews with participants were carried out to enhance credibility.

FINDINGS

This study identified a Japanese way of nursing intended to help patients explore and realize meanings and values of their experiences with illness. When nurses first contacted a patient, they quickly formed a patient image, but altered it each time they obtained new patient information. A patient image consisted of the patient's subjective world (the patient's perspective) and the holistic patient (nurses' perspectives of the patient). The nurses sometimes pursued strategies to know the patient's subjective world. The target, direction, conditions and ways of nursing care were decided based on continuously knowing the patient. The nurses related their knowledge and thoughts to the patient, and by talking with the patient promoted the patient's consideration and participation, and empowered the patient. Nurses continued attending to patients even when they could not provide specific nursing interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowing the patient was found to be especially important in determining nursing care. The model described in this study does not contradict the nursing process as a systematic approach to problem-solving. Rather, it has some alternatives that might be useful in providing individual care in Japan.