Frail Older Persons’ Experiences of Information and Participation in Hospital Care

Berit Forsman and Ann Svensson
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Berit Forsman: Department of Health Sciences, University West, 461 86 Trollhättan, Sweden
Ann Svensson: School of Business, Economics and IT, University West, 461 86 Trollhättan, Sweden

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to describe frail older persons’ experiences of hospital care of information and participation when being an inpatient at a hospital. A qualitative method was used. Data were collected at the hospital from 20 interviews with frail older patients, together with observations in the environment at the hospital ward. A content analysis was performed. Patients experienced not receiving information about their care and rehabilitation, or receiving such information in noisy surroundings. They experienced situations of misunderstanding related to their medication, which indicates the need for appropriate discharge calls for frail older patients. They expressed feelings of distress concerning the future, caused by hasty admissions or relatives’ problems to handle the situation. The results highlight the need to receive appropriate information and to participate in decision-making. The level of health literacy should be taken notice of when giving information, using peaceful and quiet environments when informing frail older persons. Person-centered care should be recognized to a greater extent in order for healthcare professionals to give information to frail older people in a health literacy-friendly way. This might make it easier for frail older persons to participate in a partnership in care.

Keywords: communication; frail older persons; health literacy; information; person-centered care (PCC) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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