Testing the individualized care model.
BACKGROUND
Although there has been some research to identify the dimensions on which individualized care should be measured, the indicators that constitute individualized care remain unclear.


OBJECTIVE
To describe briefly the maintenance of individualized care and to test a hypothetical model of individualized care in a sample of surgical patients.


METHODS
A correlational survey design was used. Data were collected with questionnaires from adult patients (n = 454) discharged from surgical wards in one Finnish hospital district (response rate 91%). Structural equation modelling LISREL SIMPLIS using maximum likelihood estimation was used to estimate and test the parameters of the hypothesized model derived deductively from the previous literature.


RESULTS
The goodness-of-fit statistics supported the basic solution of the Individualized Care Model, although two additional paths indicating error covariances between the sub-concepts were identified in the revised model. In this model individualized care is defined in terms of patients' views of nursing activities aimed at supporting individuality in care and in terms of perceptions of individuality in their own care.


CONCLUSIONS
The model has been found to capture attributes that characterize individualized care. It can be used as a basis for evaluation in clinical nursing practice from patients' point of view. The study highlights the importance of patients' clinical situation, personal life situation and decisional control as predictors of individualized care. The results also confirm the construct validity of the previously developed Individualized Care Scale.
Forssa Hospital, Health Care District of Forssa, Forssa Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. suhonen.riitta@kolumbus.fi
Riitta
R
Suhonen
Maritta
M
Välimäki
Helena
H
Leino-Kilpi
Jouko
J
Katajisto
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research / Q000379:methods; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010358:Patient Participation; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012944:Social Support; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires