Falls : the beginning of the end : a qualitative study with older people and practice nurses
Falls : the beginning of the end : a qualitative study with older people and practice nurses
This qualitative study explores the perceptions of older people concerning falls and the perceptions of practice nurses regarding falls in older people. Falls are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in older people and yet qualitative research is sparse. The ways in which falls are experienced and perceived by older people and viewed by practice nurses are important to the ways in which health education is approached in this sphere in the primary care setting. In consequence, in depth individual interviews were carried out with eleven people aged between 75 and 79 years of age who had experienced a recent fall. Focus group interviews were conducted with fifty one practice nurses. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed in full and the subsequent data analysed using the constant comparative method. In addition, the findings were subsequently triangulated in order to discover differences and similarities between the perceptions of older people and practice nurses regarding falls.
Many examples regarding perceptions of falls were identified in this research, including the older respondent's emphasis on the emotional aspects of falls compared to the physical orientation of the practice nurse's accounts. Perceptions that equated falls with loss of control were common between both groups.
In addition, the older respondents perceived that they had little control in their contacts with nurses, while the nurses also perceived that they lacked control over the content and volume of their work. Understanding differences in perceptions between practice nurses and older people appears to be the first stage in developing strategies, to improve communication and may increase the potential for effective health education.
University of Southampton
Thomas, Eileen Patricia Anne
1997
Thomas, Eileen Patricia Anne
Thomas, Eileen Patricia Anne
(1997)
Falls : the beginning of the end : a qualitative study with older people and practice nurses.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This qualitative study explores the perceptions of older people concerning falls and the perceptions of practice nurses regarding falls in older people. Falls are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in older people and yet qualitative research is sparse. The ways in which falls are experienced and perceived by older people and viewed by practice nurses are important to the ways in which health education is approached in this sphere in the primary care setting. In consequence, in depth individual interviews were carried out with eleven people aged between 75 and 79 years of age who had experienced a recent fall. Focus group interviews were conducted with fifty one practice nurses. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed in full and the subsequent data analysed using the constant comparative method. In addition, the findings were subsequently triangulated in order to discover differences and similarities between the perceptions of older people and practice nurses regarding falls.
Many examples regarding perceptions of falls were identified in this research, including the older respondent's emphasis on the emotional aspects of falls compared to the physical orientation of the practice nurse's accounts. Perceptions that equated falls with loss of control were common between both groups.
In addition, the older respondents perceived that they had little control in their contacts with nurses, while the nurses also perceived that they lacked control over the content and volume of their work. Understanding differences in perceptions between practice nurses and older people appears to be the first stage in developing strategies, to improve communication and may increase the potential for effective health education.
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Published date: 1997
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Local EPrints ID: 463028
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/463028
PURE UUID: 3bfcbcc4-18e1-4296-b4c1-35e81a6a1af9
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 20:39
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 20:39
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Author:
Eileen Patricia Anne Thomas
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