Adding injury to insult: Unfair treatment at work and occupational injury among hospital patient-care workers.

BACKGROUND: Hospital patient-care workers have high occupational injury rates. While physical hazards within hospital work environments are established determinants of injury, social exposures may also contribute. This study examined how reports of unfair treatment at work, a dimension of work-related experiences of discrimination, were associated with injury among hospital-based patient-care workers. METHODS: We used data from the Boston Hospital Workers Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of nurses and nursing assistants at two Boston-area hospitals. In 2018, we conducted a worker survey asking about three types of unfair treatment at work and occupational injuries during the past year. We used mixed-effects logistic regression models to evaluate associations between specific types, total load, and high-frequency exposure of unfair treatment with injury, adjusting for age, gender, race and ethnicity, job title, and unit type. RESULTS: Among 1001 respondents, 21% reported being humiliated in front of others at work, 28% reported being watched more closely than other workers, and 47% reported having to work twice as hard as others for the same treatment. For each type of unfair treatment, we observed a monotonic relationship with occupational injury wherein increasing frequency of exposure was associated with increased odds of injury. We also observed monotonic relationships between total load and high-frequency exposure to unfair treatment and odds of injury. CONCLUSIONS: Work-related unfair treatment is associated with injury among hospital workers. Programs and policies that focus on preventing unfair treatment may lessen injury burden in hospital workers.

The Realities and Needs of Nursing Assistants Caring for Disabled Patients with Fecal Incontinence During Hospitalization: A Qualitative Study.

Objective: To explore the experience, role, and needs of medical nursing assistants during hospitalization in patients with incapacitated fecal incontinence. Methods: Qualitative study using reflexive thematic analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 medical nursing assistants from three hospitals in Southern China. Results: Four themes were constructed from the data: (1) Role perception. All participants described the multiple roles they played during care and knowledge and familiarity with the roles were seen as providing high-quality care to patients. (2) Career cognition. Overall, participants had a positive view of nurse assistants as a career. They believed that nursing experience was more important than training. (3) emotional belonging. The multiple roles of medical nursing assistants give them very mixed emotions. (4) Potential needs. Participants reported that the fatigue of repeatedly scrubbing and cleaning stools, the negative emotions that could not be faced and resolved, and their special status made them overwhelmed, potentially reflecting that they needed more support. Conclusions: This study highlights the roles, experiences, confusions, and needs of nursing assistants in caring for patients with disabling fecal incontinence. Suggested areas for improvement include the development of more intelligent fecal incontinence collection devices and the development of management and training strategies by health managers based on the specific context of medical nursing assistants to emphasize the role of medical nursing assistants and improve the quality of clinical care.

An Intervention to Enhance Recognition of Nursing Assistant Roles and Enhance Information-Sharing.

This column describes a quasi-experimental trial that examined the effects of an intervention in which both nurses and nursing assistants shared their perceptions of the nursing assistant role on the frequency of information-sharing behaviors. In the intervention group, the frequency of nurses' linguistic responses in the intervention group increased in the nursing assistants' evaluations. The frequency of nursing assistants' linguistic response and feedback in the intervention group increased in self-evaluation and nurses' evaluation, respectively.

THRIVE: A Theory-Based Program to Support Hospital Nursing Assistants.

Nursing assistants are vital healthcare team members who often experience personal challenges to professional success. The Transformational Healthcare Readiness through Innovative Vocational Education (THRIVE) program is designed to combat these challenges through coaching and curriculum that is steeped in adult learning and social theories. The program's goal is to increase retention and success of newly hired nursing assistants through personal and professional support. Components of THRIVE can be adapted in a variety of healthcare settings.

Factors impacting nursing assistants to accept a delegation in the acute care settings: A mixed method study.

AIMS: To investigate the experience of nursing assistants being delegated nursing tasks by registered nurses. DESIGN: Mixed method explanatory sequential design. METHODS: A total of 79 nursing assistants working in an acute hospital in Australia completed surveys that aimed to identify their experience of working with nurses and the activities they were delegated. The survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Interviews with 11 nursing assistants were conducted and analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Results were triangulated to provide a richer understanding of the phenomena. RESULTS: Most nursing assistants felt supported completing delegated care activities. However, there was confusion around their scope of practice, some felt overworked and believed that they did not have the right to refuse a delegation. Factors impacting the nursing assistant's decision to accept a delegation included the attitude of the nurses, wanting to be part of the team and the culture of the ward. Nursing assistants who were studying to be nurses felt more supported than those who were not. CONCLUSIONS: Delegation is a two-way relationship and both parties need to be cognisant of their roles and responsibilities to ensure safe and effective nursing care is provided. Incorrectly accepting or refusing delegated activities may impact patient safety. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Highlights the need for implementing strategies to support safe delegation practices between the registered and unregulated workforce to promote patient safety. IMPACT: Describes the experiences of nursing assistants working in the acute care environment when accepting delegated care from nurses. Reports a range of factors that inhibit or facilitate effective delegation practices between nurses and nursing assistants. Provides evidence to support the need for stronger education and policy development regarding delegation practices between nurses and unregulated staff. REPORTING METHOD: Complied with the APA Style JARS-MIXED reporting criteria for mixed method research. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Nurse assistants' experiences and knowledge of how they create a meaningful daily life for older persons receiving municipal home healthcare.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore nurse assistants' experiences and knowledge of how they create a meaningful daily life for older people receiving municipal home healthcare. DESIGN: A participatory appreciative action reflection approach. METHODS: Interviews, participant observations and informal conversations with 23 nurse assistants in municipal home healthcare generated the data. A thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: Two main themes were developed. The first main theme, building a reciprocal relationship, was structured by three subthemes: To strengthen the older person's self-esteem, to co-create care and to create equality. The second main theme, creating meaning, was structured by two subthemes: To create closeness and to receive appreciation. The two main themes are each other's prerequisite. Nursing assistants' building reciprocal relationships gives meaning; through the meaning, reciprocal relationships are achieved, and by that, meaningful daily lives for both the older people and the nurse assistants. CONCLUSION: Nurse assistants built a reciprocal relationship both for the older people and for the nurse assistant. This contributes to create a meaningful daily life for the older people. The older person was the main character, and it seems that the nurse assistants apply person-centred care, which can represent a shared common vision that can be used in the encounter.

Electronic medication administration record (eMAR) in Swedish home healthcare-Implications for Nurses' and nurse Assistants' Work environment: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The electronic medication administration record (eMAR) is an eHealth system that has replaced the traditional paper-based medication administration used in many healthcare settings. Research has highlighted that eHealth technologies can change working methods and professional roles in both expected and unexpected ways. To date, there is sparse research that has explored how nurses and nurse assistants (NA) in home healthcare experience eMAR in relation to their work environment. AIM: The aim was to explore how nurses and nurse assistants experienced their work environment, in terms of job-demand, control, and support in a Swedish home healthcare setting where an electronic medication administration record had been implemented to facilitate delegation of medical administration. METHOD: We took a qualitative approach, where focus groups were used as data collection method. The focus groups included 16 nurses and nine NAs employed in a Swedish municipality where an eMAR had been implemented 6 months before the first focus groups were performed. The analysis adapted the job-demand-control-support model, by condensing the professionals' experiences into the three categories of demand, control, and support, in alignment with the model. RESULTS: NAs experienced high levels of job demand and low levels of job control. The use of the eMAR limited NAs' ability to control their work, in terms of priorities, content, and timing. In contrast, the nurses described demands as high but manageable, and described having a high level of control. Both professions found the eMar supportive. CONCLUSION: Nurses and NAs in home healthcare experienced changes in their work environment regarding demand, control, and support when an eMAR was implemented to facilitate delegation of medical administration. In general, nurses were satisfied with the eMAR. However, NAs felt that the eMAR did not cover all aspects of their daily work. Healthcare organisations should be aware of the changes that digitalisation processes entail in the work environment of nurses and NAs in home healthcare.

Exploring barriers to employee voice among certified nursing assistants: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that voice-the communication of ideas, concerns, and perspectives by employees to those in positions to instigate changes-is related to job satisfaction, retention, and organizational improvement. Nevertheless, health care professionals often do not exercise voice. Although researchers have explored the barriers registered nurses working in hospitals experience in expressing their voices, there has been a notable lack of attention in research and practice to the voice of certified nursing assistants working in long-term care settings. PURPOSES: Ensuring that certified nursing assistants can exercise voice is essential for the welfare and well-being of this occupational group and critical for the success of their organizations. Therefore, we explore the barriers certified nursing assistants encounter that hinder them from exercising voice. METHODOLOGY: We conducted seven focus groups in which 24 Dutch certified nursing assistants participated. RESULTS: The results show that respondents were not always willing to exercise voice, which stemmed primarily from negative prior experiences with exercising voice. Respondents were further not always able to exercise voice, as the conditions under which they had to do so were unfavorable. Finally, respondents sometimes lacked the necessary skills to convey their ideas, concerns, and perspectives effectively. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Our findings indicate that health care managers must address multiple factors if they wish to enhance the voice of certified nursing assistants.

Cultural Competency Challenges Certified Nursing Assistants Experience in Providing Palliative Care.

PURPOSE: Increasing racial and ethnic diversity in U.S. nursing facilities has necessitated the provision of more culturally competent care. This study explored the cultural challenges in providing palliative care from the perspective of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and nurses in nursing facilities. METHOD: A thematic analysis approach was used to examine data from semi-structured interviews with 12 CNAs and 11 nurses from six nursing facilities in a U.S. Midwestern state. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the data: Cultural Needs Expressed by Residents, Cultural Needs Expressed by Family Members, Accommodating Residents' Cultural Needs, and Organizational Responses to Cultural Competency Challenges. CONCLUSION: Results highlighted the training variations on diversity and cultural competency issues and the varying cultural competency levels possessed by staff. To support residents' culture-related needs, staff need education and support. Organizations can provide foundational resources for this diversity of cultural expression, including providing more culturally diverse programming facilities. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(7), 35-41.].

Function-Focused Care for Cognitive Impairment Training Among Formal Caregivers in Long-Term Care Facilities in Taiwan: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: To examine behavior changes among formal caregivers in Taiwanese long-term care facilities (LTCFs) after receiving training in function-focused care for cognitive impairment (FFC-CI). METHOD: The current study was a clustered randomized controlled trial. Formal caregivers (i.e., RNs and nursing assistants) (N = 98) from four LTCFs were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Training was based on four components of FFC-CI. Data were collected four times within 9 months using five observational outcome measurements: Self-Efficacy for Restorative Care (SERCS), Outcome Expectations for Restorative Care Scale (OERCS), Restorative Care Knowledge Scale (RCKS), Restorative Care Behavior Checklist (RCBC), and Job Attitude Scale (JAS). RESULTS: Statistically significant changes were noted in each activity of restorative care behavior among the four observational measurements. Results also indicated that job satisfaction was a statistically significant main effect for the experimental group; however, SERCS, OERCS, and RCKS scores were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: To eliminate gaps between translating research outcomes to clinical practice, this study applied a theory-based caring model for caregivers to improve knowledge and skills in caring for older adults with dementia. Caregivers who received training in FFC-CI not only had higher job satisfaction but could also provide specific FFC activities for residents during their daily care. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(7), 42-50.].

Workplace Resilience and Stress Among Certified Nursing Assistants in Long-Term Care Institutions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: To explore the relationship among resilience, stress, and demographic factors in certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who worked in long-term care institutions during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHOD: A cross-sectional correlation-based research design was used. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Occupational Stress Scale. CNAs from 21 long-term care institutions in Taiwan were recruited. RESULTS: This study included 118 female and 26 male CNAs (response rate = 80%). Mean age was 46.8 years. A moderately negative correlation was found between workplace resilience and stress. Overall, being a woman and parent were found to be significantly correlated with CNAs' resilience. Furthermore, resilience and shift work were important predictors of stress. CONCLUSION: We suggest that leadership and management pay more attention to CNAs' basic demographic background information. Furthermore, timely, relevant strategies can be provided to enhance resilience and reduce workplace stress. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(7), 19-26.].

Perception, behavior and experience of nursing assistants towards pain of older adults with dementia: A qualitative study.

Nursing assistants are strategically positioned to detect and interpret behavioral alterations indicative of pain in residents suffering from dementia. Despite this, extant literature is scarce regarding their experiences in administering pain care to this demographic. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, this study engaged 17 nursing assistants selected via purposive sampling for semi-structured interviews. Data analysed by the Colaizzi 7-step method. Four emergent themes were discerned: perception of pain; strategies for coping with pain; emotional and psychological responses to pain-related caregiving; challenges and needs in pain-related caregiving. Nursing assistants play a unique and crucial role in the identification of pain, reporting and providing feedback to healthcare professionals, and implementing non-pharmacological interventions. However, these roles have not been fully utilized. Enhancements in pain management could be facilitated by decreasing staff turnover, augmenting educational and training programs, and incorporating empathy-focused situational training. The provision of mental health services is also recommended to ameliorate caregiving-induced stress.

Perceptions, barriers, and challenges of oral care among nursing assistants in the intensive care unit: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Although oral hygiene is closely related to various diseases, it is sub-optimal in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Oral care in the ICU is challenged by nursing workloads, low staffing, and higher acuity patients, there are few policies and written guidelines for oral care. Nurses often delegate oral care to nursing assistants (NAs) whose role is overlooked. This study is to explore the perspectives, obstacles, and challenges of NAs in the oral care of the ICU. METHODS: A qualitative study and semi-structured interviews were conducted with NAs in three ICU units, and Colaizzi's phenomenological method was used to analyze the records. RESULTS: Initially, 13 NAs met the inclusion criteria, and two did not participate in this study as they refused to be recorded. Finally, 11 ICU NAs were interviewed, with three receiving face-to-face interviews and eight receiving telephone interviews. Using Colaizzi's phenomenological method, two themes and eight subthemes emerged from the data, we examined the self-perception, barriers and challenges of NAs regarding oral care and identified the subthemes: (1) The target audience, frequency, and importance; (2) Role; (3) Evaluation; (4) Patient-related factors; (5) Oral care tools; (6) Psychology of NAs; (7) Lack of education and training; (8) Lack of team support. CONCLUSION: Nursing assistants whose roles are overlooked by the nursing team are important members of the ICU team. Though oral care is closely related to disease prevention, it is rarely considered an essential task. Major barriers to implementing oral care in the ICU environment and patients include the psychological quality of participants, non-standard education and training, and inadequate team support. The expectation is that medical personnel will prioritize oral hygiene and recognize the significance of NAs in nursing work. Furthermore, future ICU oral care should investigate suitable tools and mouthwashes, simplified and standardized processes, standardized training, and multidisciplinary team collaboration.

Knowledge and attitudes regarding pressure injuries among assistant nurses in a clinical context.

This study aimed to evaluate assistant nurses' knowledge of and attitudes towards pressure injuries in a clinical setting. It employed a cross-sectional design, using two validated surveys: PUKAT 2.0 and APUP, alongside open-ended questions. A convenience sample of 88 assistant nurses from five wards across two departments at a 600-bed university hospital in Sweden participated. Participants answered the questionnaire and open-ended questions, followed by a learning seminar led by the study leader covering PUKAT 2.0 knowledge questions. The seminar ended with an evaluation of this training approach. Results revealed a significant knowledge gap in pressure injury prevention among assistant nurses, with a mean PUKAT 2.0 knowledge score of 33.8 and a standard deviation of ±11.7 (a score of 60 is deemed satisfactory). Only 3.4% (n = 3) of participants achieved a satisfactory knowledge score. However, attitudes towards pressure injury prevention, assessed by the APUP tool, were generally positive among the majority of the participants. Open-ended questions and evaluations of the seminar showed assistant nurses' desire for pressure injury prevention training and their appreciation for the seminar format. Further studies need to evaluate recurrent training procedures and departmental strategies aimed at reducing the knowledge gap among healthcare staff.

[A Study on the Life Attitudes, Fear of Death, and Dying Care Abilities of Nursing Assistants in Long-Term Care Institutions].

BACKGROUND: End-of-life care in long-term care institutions is increasingly important. Nursing assistants are the primary care workforce, and their end-of-life care capabilities affect the quality of care provided to residents as well as residents' physical and mental health. PURPOSE: This study was designed to explore the life attitudes, fear of death status, end-of-life care abilities and experience, and coping styles of nursing assistants in long-term care institutions in the eastern region and the effects of these variables on care. METHODS: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods research design was used. The study included 165 nursing assistants working in long-term care facilities in Taitung and Hualien counties. The study questionnaire included items covering life attitudes, fear of death, and dying care abilities. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 of the participants. RESULTS: Most of the participants held positive attitudes toward life and reported having a low to moderate fear of death. A significant and positive correlation between life attitude and dying care ability was identified (r = .426, p < .001). Although average ability to provide physical care to residents at end of life was found to be relatively good, ability to provide emotional support and allow residents to express their emotions was generally poor. The scales of fear of death, life attitude toward love and care, ideals, and high school education were identified as significant predictors of dying care ability, together explaining 22.8% of the variance. The interview results were summarized into five major themes that also echoed the quantitative results. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Attitudes toward life and fear of death partially were shown to influence the dying care ability of the nursing assistants in this study. Dying care skills should be strengthened in nursing assistants, and they should be encouraged to explore the meanings of life and death through on-the-job education. Also, long-term care institutions should show concern for and support their nursing assistants by sponsoring case discussions, care experience sharing sessions, and support groups.

[Examination of the relationship between tasks in geriatric health service facilities and benefits of working for older assistant care workers].

Objective　In this study, we clarified the characteristics of tasks performed by older assistant care workers at geriatric health services facilities, by individual characteristics and work status. Additionally, we examined the relationship between the tasks and benefits of working for older assistant care workers.Methods　A self-administered questionnaire survey was provided to 2,571 elderly care facilities employing assistant care workers aged ≥60.　A total of 1,606 responses were obtained, and personal characteristics, working conditions, tasks, and benefits of working for older care assistants were surveyed. Thirteen work tasks were established and categorized into four broad categories; user transfer assistance, facility maintenance, meal-related assistance, and managing and talking to users. Seven benefits of working as care assistants were "contribution to society," "social connection," "purpose of life," "income," "learning from caregiving," "health maintenance and promotion," and "time utilization."Results　Most of the respondents were women and relatively young workers. Among tasks, men, younger workers, and those working >5 days weekly represented a high proportion of those performing user transfer assistance tasks. Tasks on managing and talking to users were not correlated with sex, age, and number of days worked, but those with more flexible work patterns were more likely to be engaged in such tasks. Logistic regression analysis showed that user transfer assistance was correlated with benefits of working, such as "contribution to society," "social connection," and "learning from caregiving." Moreover, facility maintenance was associated with "income," "health maintenance and promotion," and "time utilization" and meal-related assistance was associated with "learning from caregiving." Managing and talking to users was associated with "contribution of society," "social connection," "purpose of life," and "learning from caregiving."Conclusion　The tasks of the workers were associated with individual characteristics and work status. The perception of benefits between the working tasks that involved frequent contact with users and those that did not were considerably different.

[Association between the change in the job facilitating and inhibiting factors of care staff due to the employment of older assistant workers and the emotional exhaustion among care staff].

Objectives　The mental health condition of care staff in Japan is becoming problematic. Older assistant workers are currently being employed to assist care staff with their jobs and alleviate their job burden. This employment of older assistant workers is drawing attention; however, their influence on the job facilitating and inhibiting factors of care staff and the association with the care staff's emotional exhaustion remains unclear. In this study, we aim to examine how the employment of older care assistant workers relates to the job-facilitating and job-inhibiting factors of care staff and explore that association with the care staff's emotional exhaustion.Methods　Data from a mail survey of geriatric health services facilities with older assistant workers were analyzed. Among the answers obtained from the care staff, answers from 5,185 who reported working in facilities that employ older assistant workers (over the age of 60) were analyzed. The Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the Japanese Version of the Burnout Questionnaire was used as the dependent variable. The change in job-facilitating and job-inhibiting factors of care staff due to the employment of older assistant workers (improve, maintain/exacerbate) was explored for nine contents.Results　Care staff reported a decrease in the total volume of the task (63.6%), less stress during daily tasks (39.8%), and more concentration on the tasks that require expert care knowledge (38.0%). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the emotional exhaustion score of care staff was low when the total volume of tasks decreased (ß=－0.383, 95%CI=－0.719, －0.047), when less stress was perceived during daily tasks (ß=－0.432, 95%CI=－0.796, －0.068), when concentration on tasks that required expert care knowledge increased (ß=－0.574, 95%CI=－0.937, －0.210), and when human relationships among staff improved (ß=－0.871, 95%CI=－1.263, －0.480). Conversely, an increase in tasks requiring work with regional personnel and organizations (ß=0.800, 95%CI=0.162, 1.437) was associated with a high emotional exhaustion score.Conclusion　The employment of older care workers was related to the job-facilitating or job-inhibiting factors of care staff, and the change in these factors was associated with lower emotional exhaustion. The employment of older personnel may lower the risk of burnout among care staff.

A mixed-methods exploration of the nursing associate role, programme experiences and future career pathways.

This article reports on a small mixed-methods research project undertaken with trainee nursing associates (TNAs) in the south of England. AIM: The aim was to gain insight into the motivation behind undertaking the nursing associate (NA) programme, how the NA role is perceived by service users and the wider healthcare team, and the future career pathways of NAs. METHODS: Online questionnaires (n=14) and online focus groups (n=6). FINDINGS: The results suggested undertaking the NA programme increased the TNAs' confidence and ability to use evidence to support their practice; that the role of the NA is not well understood. Some TNAs perceived the NA role as a distinct professional role, whereas others saw it as a way into registered nurse training. CONCLUSION: Role confusion still exists. Research is needed to capture how professional identities in new health and social care professional groups become established.

Nursing assistants' knowledge, attitudes and training needs regarding urinary incontinence in nursing homes: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence is an increasingly common problem, especially among older people in nursing homes. Nursing assistants are the leading workforce in nursing homes, and their knowledge and attitudes regarding urinary incontinence have garnered considerable attention in the context of aging in China. However, most previous studies on this issue have focused on registered nurses. This study aimed to explore nursing assistants' knowledge, attitudes and training needs with regard to urinary incontinence. METHODS: We conducted a two-part mixed-methods study. After institutional manager approval, we surveyed the knowledge and attitudes of 509 nursing assistants regarding urinary incontinence. We carried out semi-structured interviews with 40 nursing assistants to elicit detailed information on training needs. RESULTS: In general, knowledge about urinary incontinence was poor (14.00 ± 4.18), although attitudes were primarily positive (35.51 ± 3.19). Most nursing assistants were very willing to learn more about urinary incontinence (93.9%, 478/509), but time constraints and low educational background may be barriers to learning motivation. The three preferred training styles among nursing assistants were face-to-face guidance from a mentor, training combining theory with practice, and online video training. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese nursing assistants had poor knowledge but positive attitudes toward urinary incontinence. Facility managers should focus on developing training and learning mechanisms regarding urinary incontinence. It is important to adopt diverse training styles according to the actual situation of nursing homes.

Implementing A person-centred CommunicaTION (ACTION) educational intervention for in-home nursing assistants - a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the focus is on how to support the competence development needed for nursing assistants in home care. Home care services for older persons can be challenging concerning the nature of the interpersonal interaction and communication needed to care for and respond to the diverse needs of older people who seek to live well in our communities. This implies a need to offer more person-centred care (PCC) to older persons. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how to develop such competence. We, therefore, developed A Person-centred CommunicaTION (ACTION) programme, which is a web-based educational intervention aimed at supporting competence development for nursing assistants. The research objective is to evaluate the ACTION programme with respect to participants' responses to and the effect of the intervention. METHODS: A multicentre case-control study with pre- and post-assessments was designed. The ACTION programme will be implemented at home care units, in two different geographic areas in Sweden. A total of 300 nursing assistants will be recruited: 150 for the intervention group and 150 for the control group. We will evaluate the impact measures and the process. Pre- and post-assessments will be performed with data collected via a) audio recordings of communication, b) a questionnaire on self-efficacy communication skills, PCC, empathy and job satisfaction, c) user data, evaluation forms, field notes and observations, and d) interviews. The data will be analysed with descriptive and analytic statistics and/or qualitative methods for meanings. DISCUSSION: This study has the potential to contribute to the evidence supporting competence development required to offer person-centred and quality home care to older persons and to meet upcoming needs for flexible and easily accessible competence development. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN64890826. Registered 10 January 2022, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN64890826.