Stepping outside the consultation room
on nurse-patient relationships and nursing responsibilities during type 2 diabetes walking project
This study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (August 2019) examines the care practices of nurses during the organization of 20 weeks of walking sessions for people with type 2 diabetes and reflects on implications for nurse–patient relationships and nursing responsibilities in the provision of physical activity (PA) care.
The analysis revealed four main themes related to the nurses’ care practices: (a) organizational efforts; (b) combining group and individual care; (c) stepping in- and outside the patient mode; and (d) implications back inside the consultation room. Underlying these themes was a process of relational development, both with and among patients.
Stepping outside the consultation room seems to offer more space for patients’ lifeworld narratives and contribute to more continuous and person-centred care. However, it also raises new questions about the provision of PA care and nursing responsibilities in this.