Care, communication and educational needs of primary care nurses to treat disabled patients

Abstract

Background & Aim 129 021 disabled patients (DP) are living in the northern part of Belgium of which 21 518 were waiting to receive residential care (in 2013). Due to the waiting lists for DP, Belgian government promotes a shift towards primary care. However, this shift results in specific needs for primary care professionals (general practitioners, primary care nurses (PCN) and informal caregivers). The objective of this research is to detect nursing care, communication and educational needs of PCN to treat their DP and take care of their informal caregivers. Method A questionnaire was constructed by a multidisciplinary team of primary care professionals (4 general practitioners and 20 PCN). Disabilities are defined as a physical and/or intellectual impairment. Sensory disabilities and impairments attributed to the normal ageing process are excluded. The questionnaire was sent electronically to participants. Analysis is performed using SPSS 22.0. Results In total, 1547 questionnaires were mailed, 617 PCN responded, representing a response rate of 40%. PCN are delivering daily care to on average 16 patients (+/-10) with a mean of 5 DP (+/-6). Most PCN (n= 582) experience an overburdening in significant percentage of informal caregivers mostly due to an overload of tasks (72%). Hygienically care and administering medication (+/-injections) are most frequently administered care. The communication with the DP and other primary healthcare professionals is evaluated as very good. Most reported educational needs are dealing with behavioural problems (84%), functional loss (84%) and acquired brain injury (74%). There is no significant difference in educational need for PCN nursing exclusively at home versus both at home and in residential care facilities. Conclusion There is a significant need for education of PCN to nurse DP. Findings will be used to design educational programs to provide PCN with skills to provide high quality care to DP.