Professional identity in nursing is usually studied as an individual property, seldom as something nurses perceive in colleagues and rarely in older adult care. This study described professional identity among clinically active registered nurses (RNs) in Norwegian older adult care, comparing self-appraisal and the appraisal of colleagues. A national cross-sectional survey of 586 RNs in facility- and home-based care used the Professional Identity in Nursing Scale 2.0, analysed with descriptive and non-parametric statistics (Wilcoxon signed-rank and Jonckheere–Terpstra tests). Self-appraised professional identity was highest for values and ethics and lowest for evidence appraisal, leadership-related facets, and self-care and exceeded colleague appraisal in all domains (median differences 1.0–3.0 points; p < .001, r = .35–.48). Higher self-appraisal was associated with greater job satisfaction and lower intention to leave (Bonferroni-adjusted p ≤ .002). Efforts to strengthen the lowest-rated facets may need to address the clinical unit rather than the individual RN.
Residents’ quality of life (QoL) is a key outcome in nursing home care, but existing research is limited regarding nursing home managers’ experiences of supporting PCC and residents’ QoL. This study aimed to explore nursing home managers’ experiences of leading staff in providing person-centred care (PCC) to support residents’ QoL within organisational conditions. Interviews with 16 nursing home managers from five Swedish municipalities were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Managers described supporting PCC through organising opportunities for resident interaction, recruiting for relational competence, strengthening positive care practices and addressing challenges related to staff practices and communication. Across these efforts, they described a tension between responsibility for supporting residents’ QoL and limited authority over organisational conditions. The findings highlight how managers navigate tensions when translating PCC into everyday practice and the importance of organisational conditions that enable managers to support staff in delivering care responsive to residents’ needs and preferences.
Quality of life (QoL) is a central outcome in nursing home care. Previous research has identified several threats to residents’ QoL; less attention has been paid to residents’ own understandings of what contributes to resident QoL. This study aimed to explore nursing home residents’ experiences of everyday life and what they considered important for their QoL. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents in nursing homes. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. One overarching theme, What matters to me , comprising seven sub-themes, was generated. QoL was closely linked to maintaining a sense of self, influencing everyday life, engaging in meaningful relationships and activities and feeling understood and acknowledged. Residents described adjusting their expectations, requests and behaviour to institutional routines and resource limitations, sometimes leaving needs and preferences unexpressed. This suggests that acceptance or absence of requests may not necessarily indicate that residents’ needs and preferences are being met.
Norwegian municipalities have introduced nurse practitioners (NPs) for home-care services, yet few have formal job descriptions, and their competencies are not fully integrated. Managers play a central role in defining NPs’ positions, but their views on integration remain underexplored. This study investigates how managers in Norwegian municipalities perceive and organise NP competence. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 10 managers from home-care services in six municipalities. The study adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Analysis revealed three main categories: (a) Organisation of Nurse Practitioners in Home-Care Service, (b) Enhancement of Professional Competence, and (c) Nurse Practitioners as Key Actors in Preventing Hospital Admissions. The findings suggest benefits of NPs depend not only on their advanced clinical competence but also on their organisational placement. Positioning NPs in a stand-alone daytime position, separate from regular home-care duties, can enhance clinical competence among home-care workers and support service development.
