Stepping outside the consultation room. On nurse-patient relationships and nursing responsibilities during a type 2 diabetes walking project.
Mirjam Stuij, Agnes Elling-Machartzki, Tineke A Abma
PMID 31012151WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses who walked with patients with type 2 diabetes described shifting from expert educators to facilitators.
They found stepping outside the consultation room allowed them to understand patients' daily lives better, which changed how they asked questions during regular consultations.
Key findings
01The nurses' role shifted from providing expert education to facilitating physical activity and shared care among patients.
02Informal interactions during the walks led to patients feeling more comfortable sharing personal health information during subsequent clinical consultations.
03Organizing the walking groups required significant personal time investment from the nurses, creating tension between professional duties and personal life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study only observed two nurses, so the findings may not represent the experiences of all nurses involved in the project. The perspectives of patients who quit the program and doctors who did not participate were not included. The patient perspective was generally underrepresented in the data. The study did not measure the actual effect of the walking program on patients' physical activity levels or health outcomes.
Declared interests
No conflict of interest has been declared by the authors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this paper as evidence that walking groups improve patient health outcomes or physical activity levels. The study did not measure these effects; it only described the nurses' experiences and changes in their professional relationships and care practices.