Embodying person‐centred being and doing: Leading towards person‐centred care in nursing homes as narrated by managers

• Published in: Journal of clinical nursing 2020-01, Vol.29 (1-2), p.172-183
• Main Authors: Backman, Annica, Ahnlund, Petra, Sjögren, Karin, Lövheim, Hugo, McGilton, Katherine S., Edvardsson, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; aged care; Content analysis; Elder care; Female; Holistic nursing; Homes for the Aged - organization & administration; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Leadership; long-term care; Male; management; Middle Aged; Nursing; Nursing administration; Nursing homes; Nursing Homes - organization & administration; nursing research; Patient-centered care; Patient-Centered Care - methods; Patient-Centered Care - organization & administration; person-centred; qualitative descriptive; Qualitative research; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sweden
• ISSN: 0962-1067; 1365-2702; 1365-2702
• DOI: 10.1111/jocn.15075

Aims and objectives To explore how managers describe leading towards person‐centred care in Swedish nursing homes. Background Although a growing body of research knowledge exists highlighting the importance of leadership to promote person‐centred care, studies focused on nursing home managers' own descriptions of leading their staff towards providing person‐centred care is lacking. Design Descriptive interview study. COREQ guidelines have been applied. Methods The study consisted of semi‐structured interviews with 12 nursing home managers within 11 highly person‐centred nursing homes purposively selected from a nationwide survey of nursing homes in Sweden. Data collection was performed in April 2017, and the data were analysed using content analysis. Results Leading towards person‐centred care involved a main category; embodying person‐centred being and doing, with four related categories: operationalising person‐centred objectives; promoting a person‐centred atmosphere; maximising person‐centred team potential; and optimising person‐centred support structures. Conclusions The findings revealed that leading towards person‐centred care was described as having a personal understanding of the PCC concept and how to translate it into practice, and maximising the potential of and providing support to care staff, within a trustful and innovative work place. The findings also describe how managers co‐ordinate several aspects of care simultaneously, such as facilitating, evaluating and refining the translation of person‐centred philosophy into synchronised care actions. Relevance to clinical practice The findings can be used to inspire nursing home leaders' practices and may serve as a framework for implementing person‐centred care within facilities. A reasonable implication of these findings is that if organisations are committed to person‐centred care provision, care may need to be organised in a way that enables managers to be present on the units, to enact these strategies and lead person‐centred care.