TY - JOUR

T1 - Handling the inpatient's hospital ‘Career’

T2 - Are nurses laying the groundwork for healthy meal and nutritional care transitions?

AU - Krogh, Line H.

AU - Beck, Anne Marie

AU - Kristensen, Niels H.

AU - Hansen, Mette W.

PY - 2019/1

Y1 - 2019/1

N2 - This qualitative study examined hospital nurses’ methods in handling meal and nutrition care during inpatient time, with an underlying focus on undernourished older adult. Observations and interviews were used to document nurses’ methods through the span of a transition (defined by an entry, passage, and exit). The study finds inconsistencies in care methods due to institutional processes restricting both mealtime care and nutritional logging of information throughout hospitalization. It is concluded that the consequences of these inconsistencies must be recognized and that new approaches to meals and nutritional care should be introduced in order to provide greater flexibility. Based on the assumption that mobilizing patient resources is pivotal for meal and nutritional care, it is argued that it may be important to mobilize patient resources during mealtime and in nutritional logging of information in order to increase the visibility of meal and nutritional care in patient transitions within the institution and across settings. Both nurses’ methods and institutions developmental initiatives regarding meal and nutritional care need to accommodate the differences between what in this paper is defined as social-bodily care and text-based care. This could be met through care methods that take place with, more than for the patient.

AB - This qualitative study examined hospital nurses’ methods in handling meal and nutrition care during inpatient time, with an underlying focus on undernourished older adult. Observations and interviews were used to document nurses’ methods through the span of a transition (defined by an entry, passage, and exit). The study finds inconsistencies in care methods due to institutional processes restricting both mealtime care and nutritional logging of information throughout hospitalization. It is concluded that the consequences of these inconsistencies must be recognized and that new approaches to meals and nutritional care should be introduced in order to provide greater flexibility. Based on the assumption that mobilizing patient resources is pivotal for meal and nutritional care, it is argued that it may be important to mobilize patient resources during mealtime and in nutritional logging of information in order to increase the visibility of meal and nutritional care in patient transitions within the institution and across settings. Both nurses’ methods and institutions developmental initiatives regarding meal and nutritional care need to accommodate the differences between what in this paper is defined as social-bodily care and text-based care. This could be met through care methods that take place with, more than for the patient.

KW - ethnomethodology

KW - meal

KW - method

KW - nursing

KW - nutrition

KW - qualitative study

KW - total institution

KW - transition

U2 - 10.1111/nin.12262

DO - 10.1111/nin.12262

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 30123979

AN - SCOPUS:85053201294

VL - 26

JO - Nursing Inquiry

JF - Nursing Inquiry

SN - 1320-7881

IS - 1

M1 - e12262

ER -