How experienced nurses think and act in supporting patient learning: an interview study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Patient Education
• Oncology Nursing

Background:

• Patient knowledge and participation are crucial for safe healthcare delivery.
• Nurses require enhanced pedagogical skills to facilitate patient understanding and active involvement in care.
• Specialist nursing programs incorporate pedagogical activities to foster these essential skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore experienced nurses' understanding of pedagogical encounters with cancer patients.
• To investigate how nurses think and act during these encounters to support patient learning.

Main Methods:

• An interpretative qualitative study was conducted.
• Individual interviews were held with 8 nurses undergoing specialist training.
• Data analysis involved reflexive thematic analysis, utilizing interview guides and nurses' written assignments.

Main Results:

• A holistic approach, "A holistic approach to support patients learning," emerged as the overarching theme.
• Key sub-themes included pedagogical awareness, trust-building, mutual understanding, leveraging personal characteristics, and continuous learning.
• Nurses prioritized personal qualities (empathy, self-awareness) over theoretical knowledge, using active listening and feedback to create person-centred learning environments.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' actions in patient encounters are influenced by experience, education, and personal qualities.
• Pedagogical knowledge and practice are vital components of healthcare education.
• Further research is needed to effectively integrate theoretical pedagogy into clinical practice.