Availability of written patient information addressing certain nursing care problems in Austrian and Dutch hospitals and nursing homes: A cross-sectional study aimed at enhancing shared decision-making and person-centeredness

Article Sidebar

Requires Subscription or Fee PDF (USD 25)
Published: Sep 11, 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5750/ijpcm.v2i3.264
Keywords:
Availability intertrigo malnutrition pressure ulcer urinary incontinence written patient information

Main Article Content

Daniela Schoberer
PhD Student, Institute of Nursing Science, Medical University of Graz, Austria
Ruud J.G. Halfens
Professor, Department of Health Services Research, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
Christa Lohrmann
Professor, Institute of Nursing Science, Medical University of Graz, Austria

Abstract

Rationale: Written information material for patients and their families is essential to supplement and re-inforce nurses’ verbal information. So far, little has been known about the availability of written patient information material on nursing care problems in hospitals and nursing homes. This paper describes research aimed at determining to what degree written patient information material of the nursing care problems as they relate to pressure ulcer, urinary incontinence, malnutrition and intertrigo is available and distributed in Austrian hospitals and nursing homes in comparison to Dutch hospitals and nursing homes.Method: A cross-sectional, multi-centre design with standardized questionnaires was used to measure the availability of written patient information material of some highly prevalent nursing care problems in Dutch and Austrian hospitals and nursing homes.Results: A total of 50 Austrian and 379 Dutch hospitals and nursing homes took part in the survey. With regard to the examined nursing problems, more written patient information material was available in Dutch hospitals and nursing homes than in these facilities within Austria. A significant difference was found for pressure ulcer (p<0.01) and intertrigo (p<0.001). Even where available, written patient information material was not used in one-third of wards.Conclusion: Written patient information material is often not available in Austrian institutions and, if available, not always offered to patients and/or their relatives. Written patient information material should be developed by quality managers in healthcare institutions or on a national level. Nursing staff should be encouraged to hand out available information material to inform concerned patients and/or relatives to complement verbal information, in a concerted effort to increase the person-centeredness of clinical care.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 2 No. 3 (2012): September
Section
Shared Decision Making

References

Campos, D.C.F. & Graveto, J.M.G.N. (2009). The role of nurses and patients‘ involvement in the clinical decision-making process. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem 17 (6) 1065-1070.

O'Reilly, P. (2003). Barriers to effective clinical decision making in nursing. Nursing Monograph. Available at: http://www.clininfo.health.nsw.gov.au/hospolic/stvincents/1993/a04.html (last accessed 20.02.2011)

Ormandy, P. (2010). Defining information need in health – assimilating complex theories derived from information science. Health Expectations 14, 92-104.

European charter of patients´ rights (2002). Available at: http://www.patienttalk.info/european_charter.pdf (last accessed 05.06.2012)

ICN. (2006). The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses. Available at: http://www.icn.ch/images/stories/documents/about/icncode_english.pdf (last accessed 05.06.2012) ISBN: 92-95040-41-4

Coulter, A., Ellins, J., Swain, D., Clarke, A., Heron, P., Rasul, F., Magee, H. & Sheldon, H. (2006). Assessing the quality of information to support people in making decisions about their health and healthcare. Picker Institute Europe. Available at: http://pickereurope.org/assets/content/pdf/Project_Reports/Health-information-quality-web-version-FINAL.pdf (last accessed 05.06.2012) ISBN 1-905945-03-5-978.

Franzén, K., Johansson, J.E., Andersson, G. & Nilsson, K. (2008). Urinary incontinence: Evaluation of an information campaign directed towards the general public. Scandinavian Journal of Urology and Nephrology 42 (6) 534-538.

Paul, F., Hendry, C. & Cabrelli, L. (2004). Meeting patient and relatives' information needs upon transfer from an intensive care unit: the development and evaluation of an information booklet. Journal of Clinical Nursing 13 (3) 396-405.

O'Connor, A.M., Rostom, A., Fiset, V., Tetroe, J., Entwistle, V., Llewellyn-Thomas, H., Holmes-Rovner, M., Barry, M. & Jones, J. (1999). Decision aids for patients facing health treatment or screening decisions: systematic review. British Medical Journal 319 (7212) 731-734.

Hartigan, I., Murphy, S. & Hickey, M. (2011). Older adults' knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention: a prospective quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Older People Nursing. In press DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-3743.2011.00274.x.

Nicolson, D., Knapp, P., Raynor, DK. & Spoor, P. (2009). Written information about individual medicines for consumers. Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, 15 (2).

Travena, L.J., Davey, H.M., Barratt, A., Butow, P. & Caldwell, P. (2006). A systematic review about communicating with patients about evidence. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice 12 (1) 13-23.

Fallowfield, L.J., Hall, A., Maguire, P., Baum, M. & A’Hern, R.P. (1994) Psychological effects of being offered choice of surgery for breast cancer. British Medical Journal 309 (6952) 448.

Hack, T.F., Degner, L.F., Watson, P. & Sinha, L. (2006). Do patients benefit from participation in medical decision making? Lungitudinal follow-up of women with breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology 15, 9-19.

Bugge, C., Entwistle, V.A. & Watt, I.S. (2006). The significance for decision-making of information that is not exchanged by patients and health professionals during consultation. Social Science and Medicine 63, 2065-2078.

Fröjd, C., Swenne, C.L., Rubertson, C., Gunningberg, L. & Wadenstein, B. (2011). Patient information and participation still in need of improvement: evaluation of patients’ perceptions of quality of care. Journal of Nursing Management 19, 226-236.

Mason, L., Glenn, S., Walton, I. & Hughes, C. (2001). The instruction in pelvic floor exercises provided to women during pregnancy or following delivery. Midwifery 17 (1) 55-64.

Coulter, A., Entwistle, V. & Gilbert, D. (1999). Sharing decision with patients: is the information good enough? British Medical Journal 318, 318-322.

Florin, J., Ehrenberg, A. & Ehnfors, M. (2006). Patient participation in clinical decision-making in nursing. A comperative study of nurses´and patients´perceptions. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15, 1498-1508.

Bucknall, T. & Rycroft-Malone, J. (2004). Integrating Patient Involvement in Treatment Decision, Worldviews on Evidence-based Nursing, 3rd Quarter, Editoral.

Raynor, D.K., Blenkinsopp, A., Knapp, P., Grime, J., Nicolson, D.J., Pollock, K., Dorer, G., Gilbody, S., Dickinson, D., Maule, A.J. & Spoor, P. (2007). A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research on the role and effectiveness of written information available to patients about individual medicines. Health Technology Assessment 11 (5) 1-160.

Vitry, A.I., Phillips, S.M. & Semple, S.J. (2008). Quality and availability of consumer information on heart failure in Australia. BMC Health Service Research 8 (255) 1-9.

Minassian, V.A., Drutz, H.P. & Al-Badr, A. (2003). Urinary incontinence as a worldwide problem. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics 82, 327-338.

Offermans, M.P.W., Du Moulin, M.F.M.T., Hamers, J.P.H., Dassen, T. & Halfens, R.J.G. (2009). Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence and Associated Risk Factors in Nursing Home Residents. A Systematic Review. Neurourology and Urodynamics 28, 288-294.

Barker, L.A., Gout, B.S. & Crowe, T.C. (2011). Hospital malnutrition: prevalence, identification and impact on patients and healthcare system. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 8 (2) 514-527.

Joosten, K.F. & Hulst, J.M. (2008). Prevalence of malnutrition in pediatric hospital patients. Current Options in Pediatrics 20 (5) 590-596.

Tannen, A., Dassen, T. & Halfens, R. (2008). Differences in prevalence of pressure ulcers between the Netherlands and Germany--associations between risk, prevention and occurrence of pressure ulcers in hospitals and nursing homes. Journal of Clinical Nursing 17 (9) 1237-1244.

Shahin, E.S., Dassen, T. & Halfens, R.J. (2008). Pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence in intensive care patients: a literature review. Nursing Critical Care 13 (2) 71-79.

Bensing, J.M., Visser, A. & Saan H. (2001). Patient education in The Netherlands. Patient Education and Counseling 44, 15–22

Halfens, R.J.G., Meesterberends, E., Meijers, J.M.M., Du Moulin, M.F.M.T., van Nie, N.C., Neyens, J.C.L. & Schols, J.M.G.A. (2011). Rapportage resultaten Landelijke Prevalentiemeting Zorgproblemen. CAPHRI Department of Health Service Research, Universiteit Maastricht.

Meijers, J.M., Candel, M.J., Schols, J.M., van Bokhorst-de van der Schueren M.A. & Halfens, R.J. (2009). Decreasing trends in malnutrition prevalence rates explained by regular audits and feedback. Journal of Nutrition 139 (7) 1381-1386.

Sluijs, E.M. & Wagner, C. (2003). Progress in the implementation of Quality Management in Dutch health care: 1995-2000. International Journal for Quality in Health Care 15 (3) 223-234.

Domittner, B., Geißler, W. & Knauer, C. (2011). Qualitätssysteme in österreichischen Krankenanstalten. Bundesinstitut für Qualität im Gesundheitswesen. Wien: Gesundheit Österreich GmbH.

Amir, Y., Meijers, J. & Halfens, R.J. (2011) Retrospective study of pressure ulcer prevalence in Dutch general hospitals since 2001. Wound Care 20 (1) 18, 20-25.

Lohrmann, C. & Tannen, A. (2010). Prävalenzerhebung 07. April 2009. Institut für Pflegewissenschaft, Medizinische Universität Graz.

Grosschädl, F. & Lohrmann, C. (2011). Pressure in nursing care: Outcomes of a prevalence study of pressure ulcers in Austrian hospitals and nursing homes. Pflegezeitschrift 64 (6) 356-361.

Kummer, K., Dören, M. & Kuhlmey, A. (2008). Communication about incontinence between affected individuals and health care providers - the patients' perspective. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie 41 (4) 267-273.

Boza, J.C., Trindade, E.N., Peruzzo, J., Sachett, L., Rech, L. & Cestari, T.F. (2011). Skin manifestations of obesity: a comparative study. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatologie and Venereologie. (Epub ahead of print) DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04265.x.

Mistiaen, P. & Van Halm-Walters, M. (2010). Prevention and treatment of intertrigo in large skin folds of adults: a systematic review. BMC Nursing 9 (12) 1-9.

LEVV., V&VN. (2011) Landelijke multidisciplinaire richtlijn Smetten (intertrigo) preventie en behandeling. Utrecht. Available at: http://www.venvn.nl/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ZkmpOqZ3G10%3D&tabid=1852 (last accessed 08.02.2011).