Job differences between nursing people in their own homes and other settings

What is it about?

We argue , from our research , that being a nurse in people's homes (known as district nursing in the UK) has five features that are very different from being a nurse in a hospital. The features are: 1) patients control decisions affecting their health in their home environment and so providing person-centred care requires negotiation between the nurse, patient, and family carers;2) nurses typically work alone, making clinical decisions under time pressure without immediate support; 3) nurses have to navigate multiple health and social care systems; 4) nurses need transport to move between dispersed patients, with most using cars; 5) Due to the funding mechanisms in the UK , district nursing services accommodate all referred patients without no set limits on numbers. We are using this paper to start a discussion as to whether these distinctive features are right , or need changing or adding to .

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Photo by Rupert Britton on Unsplash

Photo by Rupert Britton on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The development of the district nursing workforce is important as our health systems try to deal evolving health needs and changing demographics. The challenge is that in many areas the district nursing services have high turnover rates which impacts on patient care quality. Recognizing these distinctive features is essential to developing effective retention strategies for nurses in district nursing services.

Perspectives