What to know and how to get to know? A fieldwork study outlining the understanding of knowing the patient in facilities for short-term stay

Abstract

Aim: To report a descriptive study of nursing in facilities for short-term stay aiming to outline what 'knowing the patient' means in an endoscopic outpatient clinic.

Background: 'Knowing the patient' is indispensable to the effort of tailoring nursing to the individual patient's needs. Structural changes in the practice environments, however, reduce the amount of time a nurse spends getting to know the patient. Despite recent years' focus on the subject, no uniform description of 'knowing the patient' in facilities for short-term stay exists.

Design: A fieldwork study influenced by practical ethnographic principles was performed in a high-technology endoscopic outpatient clinic during 2008-2010.

Methods: Data were collected using participant observation for 12 weeks and semi-structured interviews with eight patients and four nurses.

Findings: Findings were summarized into two categories 'What to know?' and 'How to get to know?' The former concerned practical issues in relation to gastroscopy and was described in terms of the patient's level of anxiety, wish for medication and previous experiences. The latter 'How to get to know?' concerned instruments employed in getting to know the patient and was described in terms of the use of communication and sensing.

Conclusions: 'Knowing the patient' in the endoscopic outpatient clinic was understood in a very practical sense. Conversation and the use of the eyes and physical touch enabled a situational awareness. It helped tailor nursing to the patient's needs and allowed the nurse to treat every patient as a unique individual.