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A study of consumer-defined need amenable to community nursing intervention
1Centre for Nursing Studies, Dundee Institute of Technology, Scotland.
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|October 1, 1993
Summary
Many older adults report unmet needs for community nursing services, particularly for daily living activities. Misconceptions about community nurse roles may hinder help-seeking behavior among those with identified needs.
Area of Science:
- Community Health
- Nursing Research
- Health Services Evaluation
Background:
- Investigating unmet needs for community nursing services is crucial for improving healthcare provision.
- Understanding the gap between public and staff perceptions of needs is essential for effective service delivery.
- Organizational factors can significantly impact community nursing practice and service accessibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the level and type of consumer-defined needs addressable by community nursing.
- To identify potential shortfalls in current community nursing service provision.
- To explore the relationship between perceived needs, service utilization, and knowledge of community nursing roles.
Main Methods:
- A postal questionnaire survey was employed with a sample of 1770 individuals selected via stratified random sampling.
- Data analysis included frequency counts and chi-square tests to examine relationships between variables at a 5% significance level.
- The Community Health Index was used for sample selection, achieving a 38% response rate.
Main Results:
- A significant level of latent need was identified, particularly concerning activities of daily living and health problems, especially in older age groups (57-69 and 70+).
- Many self-perceived unmet needs were reported, with younger individuals experiencing difficulties less frequently but being less likely to receive help.
- A majority of respondents with unmet needs had not sought help, potentially due to a lack of awareness or misconceptions regarding the roles of community nurses.
Conclusions:
- Community nursing services may have shortfalls in addressing identified needs, particularly for older populations.
- Lack of public knowledge and misconceptions about community nursing roles appear to be barriers to accessing services.
- Further research and targeted public information campaigns are needed to align community nursing services with consumer needs.