Home health nurses’ views on participating in pre-ambulance emergency treatment : A qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

As part of the Health Care Interaction project that was rolled out in western Sweden, home health nurses were called on as first responders to provide emergency treatment to patients, while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the home health nurses were prepared for the project before they were enrolled and what competencies they needed to develop to feel confident about their new role. In this qualitative descriptive study, eleven home health nurses from six municipalities that implemented the project were interviewed, and the data were analysed by content analysis. The COREQ guidelines were followed in the reporting of this study. The findings show that some municipalities did not have a training or preparation course in place, and guided the nurses to refer to self-education material. The nurses emphasised the importance of continuously updating their knowledge and skills through regular training. Further, feedback and reflection were considered important as reinforcement of learning. Keywords: registered nurse, emergency treatment, clinical competence, interview, descriptive