Distriktsköterskans erfarenheter av läkemedelshantering vid vård av multisjuka äldre i hemmet : En kvalitativ intervjustudie

Sammanfattning: Background: People are getting older to a greater extent today, but also sicker, which places demands on today's care. Healthcare in Sweden is in constant development and now there is a vision of strengthening the patient's position by increasing person-centred care. At present, there are several challenges in the care of elderly patients with multiple illnesses at home. This requires that the district nurse has a great responsibility to maintain good care and develop it. Because if it is not noticed, it can lead, among other things, to the vision of good care not being achieved and to the health of several patients being affected.  Aim: to describe district nurses' experiences with drug management when caring for elderly patients with multiple illnesses at home. Method: Qualitative semi-structured interview study with an inductive approach that was conducted with eight district nurses. The material was analyzed by qualitative content analysis according to Burnard et al. (2008). Results: The results were presented in three categories: coordination between different professions and the patient, the patient's role in their drug treatment, and challenges and opportunities with drug management. The district nurses described the multi-ill elderly patients as a more fragile group of patients; hence it was a challenge to ensure that the medication management and nursing around the patient was correct. There were several factors that made it difficult for the district nurse to care for the patient. Conclusion: The care of the multi-illness elderly patient at home is complex. The district nurse has a great responsibility regarding the maintenance of good care for the patient, however, there are several challenges that make it difficult to care for the multi-illness elderly patient. There are also opportunities that can make it easier for the district nurse to provide good care, including the right to prescribe.