Professionals' perspectives on existing practice and conditions for nurse-led gout care based on treatment recommendations: a qualitative study in primary healthcare.

BACKGROUND: Gout affects nearly 2 % of the population and is associated with repeated painful flares of arthritis. Preventive urate-lowering therapy is widely available, but only one third of patients receive adequate treatment. Lack of knowledge among healthcare professionals and patients within primary healthcare are implicated as partial explanations for this undertreatment. Nurse-led care has proved to be an effective model when treating patients with gout, but there is a need for more knowledge about factors that can be expected to influence the future implementation of such care. The aim of this study was to describe factors influencing existing gout care in primary healthcare and the conditions for a future implementation of nurse-led gout care based on national treatment recommendations. METHODS: In this qualitative study, focus group discussions with 56 nurses and physicians and individual interviews with eight managers were conducted at nine primary healthcare units in central Sweden. A deductive qualitative content analysis based on the main constructs of the framework Integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services was followed by an inductive analysis within the frames of the main constructs: innovation, recipients and context. RESULTS: Gout-related contacts with primary healthcare was described as being patient initiated, diagnostics was in some respects complex and nurse-led care was experienced as a favourable primary healthcare model in general (innovation). Gout was seen as a low-priority condition with acute flares and there was inadequate knowledge of gout, including preventive treatment (recipients). Primary healthcare was perceived as having a holistic but fragmented responsibility for gout care, recommendations against keeping waiting lists complicated follow-up appointments and a need for motivation and support when introducing new practices was emphasised (context). CONCLUSION: In this study, investigating the perspective of professionals, several factors were found to influence existing gout care. It will be crucial to target these factors in the development of a future implementation strategy.

Perception of tactile massage as a complement to other forms of pain relief in rheumatic disease.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how patients with rheumatic disease perceive tactile massage as a complement to other pain alleviation methods. METHODS: A phenomenographic approach with semi-structured interviews was employed on a strategic sample of 14 patients with various rheumatic diseases, both inflammatory and non-inflammatory, who had been admitted to Spenshult Rheumatic Hospital. RESULTS: Three descriptive categories with a total of nine conceptions emerged. The descriptive categories were: experiencing alleviation, experiencing trust, and gaining insight. Experiencing alleviation described how patients experience relaxation, pleasure and respite. Experiencing trust described how patients experience a sense of security, confirmation and inner peace. Gaining insight described how patients get to know themselves, see possibilities, and experience wholeness. CONCLUSIONS: When caring for patients who have a chronic illness involving considerable changes to their lives, it is important for health professionals not only to be aware of their physical needs but also to take account of the whole person. This study demonstrates the importance of offering patients a complement to conventional treatment. Tactile massage is a method that promotes a holistic view of patients with chronic pain as well as allowing them to find a new focus in terms of the disease and how they cope with it in their daily lives.