Who cares for the carers? The district nurse perspective
Related Experiment Videos
Chantal Simon1, Satinder Kumar, Tony Kendrick
1Department of Primary Medical Care, University of Southampton, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, Southampton SO16 5ST, UK.
Background:
Community care of elderly and disabled people is increasing. Primary care teams are expected to provide support to the informal carers essential for its success.
Objective:
To explore district nurse (DN) views about roles of the primary care team and what is needed for support of informal carers.
Method:
A qualitative analysis of open-ended questions contained in a larger postal questionnaire.
Results:
DNs viewed improved respite care, general support and information provision as priorities for supporting carers, and lack of resources and access as the main reasons why they could not be more active. They thought other team members might be better placed to take that role. GPs were seen as key members of the primary care team providing services, actively identifying carers and co-ordinating other services and team members.
Conclusion:
DNs identified several areas of support for carers that could be improved: respite, information provision and general support services. They did not feel able to be pro-active in support of informal carers themselves and viewed the GP in that role as a central co-ordinator of care and services.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Aims Of Nursing
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
01:30Specialized Care Centers and Settings-II
Rural health centers are specialized care facilities in remote locations with very few medical personnel. The primary care providers who run the centers are mostly Registered Nurse Practitioners. Here, emergency treatment is provided to critically ill or injured patients before they are transferred to the closest hospital. Fortunately, due to advancement in technology, many rural healthcare facilities and professionals have easy access to diagnostic and treatment...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
Long-Term Care Facilities