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Canadians are worried about the future of the health care system, and provincial governments are questioning the ability of the existing system to support Canadians health care needs in the 21st Century(Industry Canada, 2011). Health care providers and system administrators are both driving and experiencing a paradigm shift; moving away from paternalism and toward an egalitarian approach. In order to practice patient centredness, health care providers must prioritize patient needs; provide information regarding treatments while taking patient preferences into account (Romanow, 2002). While there is a growing body of literature regarding patient centredness, there is scant information from the patient perspective. If the most effective and acceptable health services are those that realize the expectations of the users, this is an important area of study. Using phenomenological research methods and the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework, the purpose of the study was to explore the influence of beliefs, attitudes and experiences on behaviour from the perspective of patients in primary health care or stroke rehabilitation. A second purpose was to explore the degree to which beliefs, attitudes and behaviour were similar between clinical contexts. The theory of planned behaviour was unsuitable for understanding peoples’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviour about being a patient. Being a patient was not a single, observable behaviour, but rather a set of contextually dependent strategies patients’ directed at a particular goal. The goal for each participant group was different; rehabilitation patients focused on the specific goal of recovery and discharge, while PHC patients focused on a broader goal of accessing and receiving best health care possible. These goals were reflected in their respective approaches to accessing health care services, an experience they described as socially oriented, governed and reinforced. Although patients described themselves as actively engaged, they did not approach each interaction with health care with a set of behavioural beliefs about being a patient. During the course of their participation, patients identified, developed and adopted strategies to assist in achieving the target; and evaluated those strategies more positively.

Canadians are worried about the future of the health care system, and provincial governments are questioning the ability of the existing system to support Canadians health care needs in the 21st Century(Industry Canada, 2011). Health care providers and system administrators are both driving and experiencing a paradigm shift; moving away from paternalism and toward an egalitarian approach. In order to practice patient centredness, health care providers must prioritize patient needs; provide information regarding treatments while taking patient preferences into account (Romanow, 2002). While there is a growing body of literature regarding patient centredness, there is scant information from the patient perspective. If the most effective and acceptable health services are those that realize the expectations of the users, this is an important area of study. Using phenomenological research methods and the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework, the purpose of the study was to explore the influence of beliefs, attitudes and experiences on behaviour from the perspective of patients in primary health care or stroke rehabilitation. A second purpose was to explore the degree to which beliefs, attitudes and behaviour were similar between clinical contexts. The theory of planned behaviour was unsuitable for understanding peoples’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviour about being a patient. Being a patient was not a single, observable behaviour, but rather a set of contextually dependent strategies patients’ directed at a particular goal. The goal for each participant group was different; rehabilitation patients focused on the specific goal of recovery and discharge, while PHC patients focused on a broader goal of accessing and receiving best health care possible. These goals were reflected in their respective approaches to accessing health care services, an experience they described as socially oriented, governed and reinforced. Although patients described themselves as actively engaged, they did not approach each interaction with health care with a set of behavioural beliefs about being a patient. During the course of their participation, patients identified, developed and adopted strategies to assist in achieving the target; and evaluated those strategies more positively.

Bakgrund: Naturens positiva inverkan på hälsa har belysts sedan antiken. Forskning kring naturbaserad terapi har ökat de senaste decennierna och terapiformen har gett positiva effekter för flertalet patientgrupper. Mer än en tredjedel av EU:s befolkning lider av någon form av psykisk ohälsa och många går utan adekvat behandling. Omvårdnad vid psykisk ohälsa ska enligt riktlinjer innefatta ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt och utformas utifrån kunskap om vårdmiljöns betydelse. Syfte: Att beskriva betydelsen av naturbaserad terapi för personer med psykisk ohälsa. Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie med systematisk ansats genomfördes. Artikelsökning gjordes i PubMed, Cinahl, AMED, PsykInfo och Scopus. Valda artiklar kvalitetsgranskades och analyserades utifrån kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Den naturbaserade terapin hade en positiv inverkan på hälsa för personer med psykisk ohälsa. Resultatet baserades på 17 artiklar och speglades i fyra kategorier: naturen som tillflyktsort, betydelsen av social kontext, förändrad syn på livssituation samt symtomförbättring och dess konsekvenser. Konklusion: I studien framkom att naturbaserad terapi kan ha stor betydelse för tillfrisknande och daglig funktion för personer med psykisk ohälsa. Studien visar även att omvårdnad som utgår ifrån ett salutogent perspektiv i en terapeutisk naturmiljö bidrar till en förbättrad psykisk hälsa. / Background: The positive impact of nature on health has been highlighted since ancient times. The scientific research about nature-based therapy has increased during the last decades and has presented positive effects for patients with different diagnoses. More than one third of the European Union population suffers from some kind of mental illness and many lack adequate treatment. Nursing care of mental illness should according to guidelines include a person-centered approach and knowledge about the significance of the care environment. Aim: To describe the impact of nature-based therapy for people with mental illness. Method: A general literature study with a systematic approach was conducted. The search for articles was made in PubMed, Cinahl, AMED, PsykInfo and Scopus. The quality of the selected articles were examined and analyed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Nature-based therapy had a positive impact on health for people with mental illness. The result was based on 17 articles and four categories were identified: nature as a refuge, the importance of social context, altered view of life situation and improvement of symptoms and its consequences. Conclusion: The findings conclude that nature-based therapy can have an impact on recovery and daily function for persons with mental illness. The study also revealed that nursing care with a salutogenic approach in a therapeutic nature environment leads to an increased mental health.

Cultural competency is theorized as the sensitivity of practitioners from the dominant culture towards the diverse cultural backgrounds of their patients. Less attention is placed on how communication between providers and patients can enable patients to share their health care beliefs. An evidence review of the literature around the conceptualization of cultural competency in health care was performed, and interviews were conducted aiming to understand what immigrant patients perceive as culturally competent care and its effect on the relationship between them and their providers. Definitions of cultural competence varied, and no conclusive studies linking cultural competence to improved health outcomes were found. Findings from the participant interviews helped to address gaps in the literature by confirming a preference for a patient-centred approach to culturally competent care, in addition to identifying pre-existing expectations for the health care encounter and patient-dependent factors as additional elements influencing the physician-patient relationship.

Cultural competency is theorized as the sensitivity of practitioners from the dominant culture towards the diverse cultural backgrounds of their patients. Less attention is placed on how communication between providers and patients can enable patients to share their health care beliefs. An evidence review of the literature around the conceptualization of cultural competency in health care was performed, and interviews were conducted aiming to understand what immigrant patients perceive as culturally competent care and its effect on the relationship between them and their providers. Definitions of cultural competence varied, and no conclusive studies linking cultural competence to improved health outcomes were found. Findings from the participant interviews helped to address gaps in the literature by confirming a preference for a patient-centred approach to culturally competent care, in addition to identifying pre-existing expectations for the health care encounter and patient-dependent factors as additional elements influencing the physician-patient relationship.

The focus of this study is on curriculum change within a nursing institute in Taiwan where there is a growing demand for reform to nurse education in order to produce more competent practitioners. I conceptualised a framework to guide the transformation process in ways that were empowering, sustainable and generative. I argued that curriculum change also involves the beliefs, customs, attitudes or expectations of those who participate in the process: essentially it is a reculturing process. My conceptual framework included notions such as student-centredness, reculturing, collaborative practices and reflections, personal growth, and professional development. A plan of action was developed based on the notions contained in the conceptual framework and carried out within an Action Research methodology. Action Research provided the mechanism by which the collaborators explored and understood their conceptions of teaching and learning and then planned and implemented action to change the current situation, and evaluate and reflect on the transformations. Strategies such as personal practical theorising, focus group, critical debate, and collaborative reflection were used to bring about the curriculum change. The significance of this study lies in its practical contribution to all aspects of curriculum making including innovation, planning, implementation and ongoing review. Although information generated from this study is not generalisable, lessons learned from it may be utilised by other educational institutes with similar issues and similar contexts.

Introduction: Patient-centred communication is vital to ensure a good patient experience in the emergency department. Visits to the emergency department leave patients disillusioned regarding the communication experienced and this increases patient dissatisfaction. There is a need to put the "patient" back in communication in order to make it more patient-centred and provide the patient the opportunity to voice their individual needs pertaining to patient-centred communication. The aim of the study was to co-design patient-centred communication in an emergency department. In order to reach the aim of the study the following objectives were set: To explore current communication in an emergency department as experienced by patients and healthcare professionals. To collaboratively co-design strategies to enhance patient-centred communication in an emergency department. Research design and methods: An Experience-based Co-design has been used. Unstructured observation was done to observe existing communication in the emergency department. Patients have told their stories through narrative-based film interviews and healthcare professionals have been interviewed to share their experiences regarding communication in the emergency department. The observation notes and interviews have been shared during a Co-design event. Patients and healthcare professionals have collaboratively analysed the data to identify key touch points and co-design strategies to enhance patient-centred communication in the emergency department. Results: Three (3) key touch points were identified namely; professionalism, communication and daily focus. The patients and healthcare professionals were equal partners to change the communication culture in the emergency department to be more patient-centred. This may lead to positive patients' experiences with an increase in patient satisfaction. Conclusion: The ultimate goal of this study was to raise awareness relating existing communication in the emergency department and collaboratively plan strategies to work towards patient-centred communication. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Nursing Science / MCur / Unrestricted

Cultural competency is theorized as the sensitivity of practitioners from the dominant culture towards the diverse cultural backgrounds of their patients. Less attention is placed on how communication between providers and patients can enable patients to share their health care beliefs. An evidence review of the literature around the conceptualization of cultural competency in health care was performed, and interviews were conducted aiming to understand what immigrant patients perceive as culturally competent care and its effect on the relationship between them and their providers. Definitions of cultural competence varied, and no conclusive studies linking cultural competence to improved health outcomes were found. Findings from the participant interviews helped to address gaps in the literature by confirming a preference for a patient-centred approach to culturally competent care, in addition to identifying pre-existing expectations for the health care encounter and patient-dependent factors as additional elements influencing the physician-patient relationship.

The general practitioner has a central position in the health care system, but demands have increased and there are signs of exhaustion in the corps. Patient-centredness is beneficial for the patients and probably for the outcome of health care. In Balint groups general practitioners study and gain further understanding of the physician-patient relationship by means of the participants’ own experiences. This thesis aims at studying experienced effects of Balint groups on the working life of general practitioners. General practitioners with and without Balint group experience are compared by means of a questionnaire, using statistical methods. General practitioners with Balint group experience are interviewed. Both these studies show positive experiences of Balint group participation in the physicians’ working life in terms of feeling of control and satisfaction, and on relations to patients, particularly patients with complex problems. A new instrument for measuring physicians’ degree of patient-centredness is presented. It can be used in groups of physicians to evaluate training programmes or by the individual physician to detect decline in patient-centredness as an early sign of burnout. Balint groups are viewed critically in interviews with Balint group leaders, focussed on difficulties and dropouts from the groups. Balint groups are found to fit into modern theories of small groups as complex systems, submitted to group dynamics that are sometimes malicious. Professionally conducted Balint groups seem to be a gentle, efficient method to train physicians, but with limits. Participation of a member demands a stable psychological condition and an open mind, and obligatory Balint groups are questioned. The thesis concludes that Balint groups are generally beneficial for general practitioners’ working life as a means to enable the physicians endure, even thrive in their job. The method facilitates development of new understanding of the physician-patient relationship with possible positive effects for the patient as well.