Quality of life and nurse–patient interaction among NH residents: Loneliness is detrimental, while nurse–patient interaction is fundamental

Abstract

Aims and ObjectivesTo investigate the association between perceived nurse–patient interaction and quality‐of‐life among nursing home residents, adjusted for loneliness, anxiety and depression.BackgroundSymptoms of anxiety and depression are known to residents of nursing homes along with cognitive impairment, physical inactivity and low quality‐of‐life. Anxiety, depression and loneliness are found detrimental to NH residents' quality‐of‐life. The nurse–patient relationship is important for patient's well‐being, both in terms of illness and symptom management.DesignCross‐sectional design.MethodsData were collected in 2017 and 2018 from 188 residents in 27 nursing homes resided in two large urban municipalities in Middle and Western Norway. The inclusion criteria were: (1) local authority's decision of long‐term NH care; (2) residential stay 3 months or longer; (3) informed consent competency recognised by responsible doctor and nurse; (4) capable of being interviewed, and (5) aged 65 years or older. This article is executed in accordance with STROBE statement.ResultsAdjusting for age, sex, anxiety, depression and loneliness, perceived nurse–patient interaction was statistically significant to quality‐of‐life. While anxiety and depression showed insignificant estimates, loneliness demonstrated a significant relation with quality‐of‐life. Nurse–patient interaction and loneliness explained together 25% of the variation in quality‐of‐life.ConclusionThis study suggests that loneliness is frequent as well as more detrimental to quality‐of‐life among nursing home residents compared to anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the present results show that the nurse–patient interaction represents an essential health‐promoting resource for Quality‐of‐life in this population.Relevance to clinical practiceStaff nurses need to exercise their awareness of loneliness to meet residents' needs. Nursing educations should provide knowledge about nurse–patient interaction, and students as well as staff nurses in NHs should be trained, for instance by simulation, to use the nurse–patient interaction as a health‐promoting resource. Finally, loneliness represents a bigger challenge than depression and anxiety; accordingly, building nurses that are capable of meeting patients' needs and facilitate care that counteracts loneliness is highly warranted

Existential loneliness and meaning-in-life in the lived experience of nursing home residents

“…In this light, the ways in which the staff interact with the residents represent a powerful resource for the alleviation of loneliness and facilitation of meaningfulness. Evidence has shown that how NH residents perceive the nurse-patient interaction significantly impacts their meaning-in-life (Haugan, 2014b), hope (Kuven et al, 2023), self-transcendence (Haugan et al, 2020), sense of coherence (Drageset et al, 2020), loneliness (Jansson et al, 2017;Drageset and Haugan, 2021), joy of life , anxiety and depression (Kuven et al, 2023). To be seen in the eyes of another person is crucial for the existence of a human being and to experience connectedness to the world (on Buber, see Friedman, 2002Friedman, [1955).…”

“…For example, nearly one third of the residents of NHs in Finland suffer from loneliness (Jansson et al, 2017). Recent studies have shown that NH residents perceive that nurse-patient interaction significantly influences their sense of meaning-in-life and also loneliness (van Wijngaarden et al, 2015;Drageset and Haugan, 2021), that is, their hope, sense of coherence, joy of life and self-transcendence, as well as depression and anxiety (Haugan, 2021;Kuven et al, 2023). Despite the evidence, existential conversations in NHs are rare (Sundström et al, 2019).…”