Biomaterial Database

Patient participation: what does it mean to nurses? 1994

S E Jewell

Department of Nursing Studies, University of Southampton, England.

Patient participation as a nursing philosophy and practice has grown in popularity. Research studies have reported the possible positive effects of involving patients in their health and care, while investigations interested in the meaning of participation have tended to concentrate upon the patient's perspective. However, little research has focused upon the practitioner's understanding of the concept or its execution. The aim of this ethnographic study was to uncover the perceptions of primary nurses towards the notion of patient participation, and represents early explorative work within a larger project devoted to discharge decision making. A group discussion was led by the author with four primary nurses working within a rehabilitation unit for elderly people. The data were subjected to a content analysis and two central themes or principles emerged. First, participation was regarded as having both a formal and informal meaning as well as a formal and informal method or practice, and secondly, it was seen to involve mutual informing or negotiation between patient and nurse. Both these principles were regarded as closely linked to the concepts of nurse-patient closeness and patient individuality.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D009723	Nurse-Patient Relations	Interaction between the patient and nurse.	Nurse Patient Relations,Nurse Patient Relationship,Nurse Patient Relationships,Nurse-Patient Relation,Patient Relations, Nurse,Patient Relationship, Nurse,Patient Relationships, Nurse,Relations, Nurse Patient,Relations, Nurse-Patient,Relationship, Nurse Patient,Relationships, Nurse Patient
D009740	Nursing Staff	Personnel who provide nursing service to patients in an organized facility, institution, or agency.	Nursing Staffs,Staff, Nursing,Staffs, Nursing
D010351	Patient Discharge	The administrative process of discharging the patient, alive or dead, from hospitals or other health facilities.	Discharge Planning,Discharge Plannings,Discharge, Patient,Discharges, Patient,Patient Discharges,Planning, Discharge,Plannings, Discharge
D010358	Patient Participation	Patient involvement in the decision-making process in matters pertaining to health.	Patient Activation,Patient Empowerment,Patient Engagement,Patient Involvement,Patient Participation Rates,Activation, Patient,Empowerment, Patient,Engagement, Patient,Involvement, Patient,Participation Rate, Patient,Participation Rates, Patient,Participation, Patient,Patient Participation Rate
D010687	Philosophy, Nursing	The underlying rationale or theoretical basis for the principles of NURSING.	Nursing Philosophy,Nursing Philosophies,Philosophies, Nursing
D011321	Primary Nursing	The primary responsibility of one nurse for the planning, evaluation, and care of a patient throughout the course of illness, convalescence, and recovery.	Primary Nursing Care,Care, Primary Nursing,Nursing Care, Primary,Nursing, Primary
D012046	Rehabilitation	Restoration of human functions to the maximum degree possible in a person or persons suffering from disease or injury.	Habilitation
D003657	Decision Making	The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea.	Credit Assignment,Assignment, Credit,Assignments, Credit,Credit Assignments
D005851	Geriatric Nursing	Nursing care of the aged patient given in the home, the hospital, or special institutions such as nursing homes, psychiatric institutions, etc.	Nursing, Geriatric,Geriatric Nursings,Nursings, Geriatric
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man