The roles of community health nurses for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northeastern Thailand: A qualitative study.
Pairin Yodsuban, Supa Pengpid, Ruangurai Amornchai and 3 others
PMID 36590312WHAT IT FOUND
Community health nurses described 12 roles for older adults, including home visits, phone advice, vaccination access, medication delivery, food support, and coordinating quarantine.
Telehealth was not accessible to older adults in this community.
Key findings
01Community health nurses described 12 roles for older adults, including educator, provider, advocator, manager, coordinator, health promoter, collaborator, model, change agent, data collection and reporting, and nutrition support.
02Nurses arranged home medicine delivery and food support for older adults during quarantine.
03Home visit care for homebound and bedbound older adults was limited because infected people were prioritized, and older adults lacked telehealth access.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one model sub-district in Northeastern Thailand. Purposive sampling and gatekeeper selection may miss people with different experiences. The study reports themes from interviews and observations, not measured patient outcomes or tested interventions. Some participants were community health nurses describing their own roles, while others were older adults, family caregivers, and local actors.
Declared interests
Funded by Mahidol University. The author declared no conflict of interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these roles as proof that community health nursing improved older adult outcomes. This study used purposive sampling in one sub-district, interviewed staff and older adults, and reported themes rather than measured effects.