Distriktssköterskors arbete i hemsjukvården under Covid – 19 pandemin : En kvalitativ intervjustudie

Sammanfattning: Abstract Background: When Covid-19 began to spread, the Swedish Public Health Agency recommended that people in risk groups should stay at home and avoid contact with others to reduce the risk of infection, and since the majority of home care patients are multi-sick older than 65, they were included in the recommendations. The district nurses in home health care are responsible for leading the team work around the patient and identifying health changes and nursing needs. It is important to gather experiences from district nurses in home care to increase knowledge about how district nurses can support home care patients during a pandemic. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe district nurses' experiences of working with the elderly in home care during the Covid - 19 pandemic. Method: A descriptive design with a qualitative approach has been used to describe the district nurses' experiences. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with nine district nurses and a qualitative content analysis was used when the material was analyzed. Main results: The study revealed various changes and difficulties that have occurred in the district nurses' work in connection with the pandemic, such as a large flow of information, many routine changes and another collaboration. The district nurses themselves were in need of support at work during the pandemic, which they received from colleagues and the manager. The study also revealed some changes the district nurses experienced in the patients' everyday lives, health and nursing needs related to the pandemic and the recommended isolation. Conclusion: The district nurses in the study experienced some changes in their work in home health care and in patients' health during the Covid-19 pandemic. They were faced with several difficulties, but it was still possible with cooperation and support from the manager and colleagues. Better preparedness would facilitate the work in home health care if they were faced with a new pandemic. Keywords: Covid-19, District Nurse, Home Health Care, Experience