Individualised care from the orthopaedic and trauma patients' perspective: an international comparative survey.
BACKGROUND
Although individualised nursing care is considered a core value in nursing in different countries, international comparative studies in this area are rare. In Western countries, common hospitalised patients, e.g. orthopaedic patients, often perceive health care as impersonal rather than individualised; a term which may also have different connotations in different cultures.


OBJECTIVE
To describe and compare orthopaedic and trauma patients' perceptions of individuality in their care in four European countries.


METHODS
A cross-sectional comparative study.


METHODS
24 orthopaedic and trauma wards in 13 acute care hospitals.


METHODS
Data were collected from orthopaedic and trauma patients in Finland (n=425, response rate 85%), Greece (n=315, 86%), Sweden (n=218, 73%) and UK (n=135, 58%) between March 2005 and December 2006.


METHODS
Questionnaire survey data using the Individualised Care Scale (ICS) were obtained and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics including frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, 95% confidence intervals (CI), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi2 statistics and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).


RESULTS
Patients perceived that nurses generally supported their individuality during specific nursing interventions and perceived individuality in their care. There were some between-country differences in the results. Patients' individuality in the clinical situation and in decisional control over their care were also generally well supported and taken into account. However, patients' personal life situation was not supported well through nursing interventions and these patients perceived lower levels of individualised care.


CONCLUSIONS
North-South axis differences in patients' perceptions of individualised care may be attributed to the way nursing care is defined and organised in different European countries. Differences may be due to the differences in regional samples, and so no firm conclusions can be made. Further research will be needed to examine the effect of patient characteristics' and health care organisation variables in association with patients' perceptions of individualised care.
Suhonen
Riitta
R
Health Care District of Forssa, Forssa, Finland. suhonen.riitta@kolumbus.fi
Berg
Agneta
A
Idvall
Ewa
E
Kalafati
Maria
M
Katajisto
Jouko
J
Land
Lucy
L
Lemonidou
Chryssoula
C
Välimäki
Maritta
M
Leino-Kilpi
Helena
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000451:nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D006113:United Kingdom