Distriktsköterskors arbete med malnutrierade äldre personer inom kommunal hemsjukvård

Sammanfattning: Background: Malnutrition is a nursing issue that causes both physical and psychological suffering of those who are affected. In order to achieve care that is safe and has a good quality, it must be based on the assessment and actions of the state. District nurses play a central role in this work. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the district nurses' work with identifying and addressing malnutrition in older people in nursing Home Care of the Community. Method: Six interviews with district nurses were conducted. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach Results: From the results of the analysis two categories emerged: observations for finding signs of malnutrition, treatment and following up by malnutrition. Conclusion: Cooperation in the form of communication and information within the care team, together with the patient and their relatives, were found to be important for the patient's nutritional needs and should be identified and addressed in order to avoid the risk of malnutrition. The results that emerge can contribute to new knowledge that can help to identify older persons in order to get early and appropriate interventions and thus reducing the suffering that is caused by malnutrition.