title: A nurse-led rheumatology clinic's impact on empowering patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A qualitative study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe a nurse-led rheumatology clinic's impact on empowering patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that attacks many joints, causing considerable functional restrictions for patients. Consequently, these patients are dependent on a wide variety of health-care services. A descriptive, qualitative design inspired by phenomenography was chosen. The conceptions were collected through interviews with 16 strategically selected patients with RA. Three descriptive categories comprising eight conceptions emerged: teaching (gaining insight and receiving information), regular review (receiving security, realizing regularity, and achieving accessibility), and attention (getting a holistic assessment, receiving coordinated care, and getting sufficient time). A nurse-led rheumatology clinic can be a source for empowering patients with RA to adopt new stances to alternative actions and achieve a higher level of faith in their own abilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Development, Spenshult Hospital, Halmstad, Sweden. barbro.arvidsson@hos.hh.se
authors.forename: S Barbro
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Arvidsson
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petersson
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Brita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Britt I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Arvidsson
authors.forename: Ingemar F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Petersson
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fridlund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011209:Power, Psychological; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden