Sjuksköterskor som patienters företrädare Med huvudsakligt fokus på företrädarskap för äldre patienter i kommunal hälso- och sjukvård

Sammanfattning: The overall aim was to study nurses’ and managers’ attitudes towards micro social patient advocacy (I) and factors related to patient advocacy (II, III) with the main focus being on advocacy in the care of older patients in community health care together with psychometric testing of the instrument 'Attitudes toward Patient Advocacy Scale-Attitudes toward MIcrosocial Advocacy' (IV).Methods: A quantiative cross-sectional study and a qualitative study were carried out. Nurses (n=207) and managers (n=23) in community health care responded to a questionnaire about patient advocacy, nursing competence, personal traits, quality of care and organisational climate (I, II, IV). Nurses' (n=18) perceptions of influencers of patient advocacy was studied in a phenomenographic study (III).The results showed that nurses and managers reported positive attitudes to patient advocacy (I, II), especially for patients unable to speak for themselves (I). Two areas of nursing competence (Performing the nursing process, Supervision and cooperation) and a dimension of quality of care of older patients were positively associated with attitudes towards patient advocacy (II). Two organisational dimensions were, negatively (dynamism) respectively positively (playfulness), associated with attitudes towards patient advocacy. The nurses' perceptions of influencers of patient advocacy consist of three hierarchically related levels: The nurse's character traits, The nurse’s bond with the patient and The organisational conditions (III). The Swedish version of APAS-AMIA consists of 33 items in a four-factor structure (APAS-AMIA/SE): Support patients’ beliefs and decision-making, Safeguard patients' health care, Support patients to communicate their wishes and Respect patients’ wishes not to participate in decisions regarding care (IV).Conclusions: Maintaining the continuing professional competence of nurses is important, and is ensuring the organisational prerequisites to enable nurses' advocacy for patients.