Abstract
Background: A primary health care centre (PHCC) is often the first point of contact for overweight patients, and nurses play key roles in overweight and lifestyle management. Since overweight is an increasing problem and a challenge for PHCCs to handle, it is important to describe primary care nurses' perceptions and experience with overweight problems, as well as their visions and attitudes regarding working with lifestyle issues. Methods: This was a qualitative interview study. Thirteen nurses in PHCCs in the southwest of Sweden were interviewed with a semi-structured, face-to-face guide. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The nurses had a wish and a willingness to work more with overweight and lifestyle issues than they currently did due to a lack of priority, resources, time and education. They experienced overweight as an increasing problem and felt that society should do more to stop its development. They considered that meeting with the patient was the most important task at PHCCs. How the conversations were structured without pointers and in an individualized manner was crucial for weight management to strengthen the patients’ motivation to change. The nurses experienced that how to use and implement guidelines was unclear. They also asked for a national forum in Sweden for nurses working with overweight and lifestyle issues with lectures about the latest research in the area. Conclusions: The nurses considered overweight to be a complex condition that requires a holistic approach with individualized care. To make this approach possible, a wider range of efforts should be offered to patients through more group meetings, lectures, and digital solutions. The development of a multidisciplinary team with different professions working with this patient group was the nurses’ dream scenario. They wished for a preventive reception for pre-diabetic patients to save costs and suffering. Informing parents earlier about a healthy lifestyle at childcare centres in PHCCs and offering health examinations to promote preventive work were seen as good ideas. Implementing these suggestions in working with overweight and lifestyle issues could be a discussion among the management in PHCCs and for the decision makers in the region.
Listening to paediatric primary care nurses: a qualitative study of the potential for interprofessional oral health practice in six federally qualified health centres in Massachusetts and Maryland
