Capturing the Unsaid: Nurses' Experiences of Identifying Mental Ill-Health in Older Men in Primary Care-A Qualitative Study of Narratives.
Nurs Rep
; 11(1): 152-163, 2021 Mar 04.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34968320
ABSTRACT
This study describes nurses' experiences in identifying mental ill-health in older men in primary care. The aging population is growing in Sweden and life expectancy is increasing. Age is a risk factor for mental ill-health. Older men are over-represented in deaths from suicide. When older men seek primary care, it is often because of somatic symptoms and rarely for mental health issues. A questionnaire with five open questions was answered by 39 nurses from 10 primary care centres and subjected to inductive qualitative content analysis. The results revealed a main theme-capturing the unsaid-and two categories (1) feeling secure in the role, with three subcategories (building trust, daring to ask and interpreting signs); and (2) the need for resources, with two subcategories (time and continuity, and finding support in collaboration). The results confirm that nurses in primary care play a key role in identifying mental ill-health in older men. There is a need for resources in the form of time, competence and collaboration with other professionals and patients' relatives. This strategy will establish best practice and provide evidence-based care to facilitate improvements in older men's mental health and prevent suicide.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Language:
En
Journal:
Nurs Rep
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Sweden