Paper: How Nurses Improve Their Nursing Care through Application of Older Peoples' Storytelling (19th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice)

Friday, 11 July 2008: 10:20 AM

Ming Yi Hsu, PhD, MSc, RPN, RN , School of Nursing, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan

Learning Objective 1: know how to facilitate and interpret older peoples’ storytelling.

Learning Objective 2: know how to utilize older peoples’ storytelling in their everyday practice.

Background: Evidence suggests that people from older generations have had lower expectations of health care which has restricted their involvement. Despite the emphasis placed on user involvement in policy documents, it has been argued that many existing approaches are patchy and tokenistic. Narrative research provides an option to explore personal experiences beyond the boundaries of a questionnaire. It also provides insight into decisions involving treatment, screening or various health practices, which can help guide how health care services are developed and provided. The proposed study therefore examines how useful narrative research approaches are when providing an environment in which older people can be involved in developing services through relating their experiences.

Purpose: How to develop the application of narrative research approach in facilitating older peoples' involvement in service development.

Methods: The older people in this project were aged 65 and upwards, and had been a patient in the rehabilitation centre. They were cognitively and physically able to communicate and give consent to take part in the study. Patients were interviewed towards the end of their stay. Narrative interviewing skills were used for data collection.

Results: Findings revealed that the researcher's attitudes of respect, understanding and acceptance are the key to a successful narrative interview with older people. Narrative interview skills were helpful to sustain those attitudes when collecting older peoples' stories. The most proper time to approach and interview older people was after they were informed of the time for their discharged. A 4-step narrative analysis helped to identify and analyse the older peoples' narratives in order to reflect on everyday practice.

See more of: Evidence-Based Practice Strategies for the Aging Population
See more of: Evidence-Based Practice Sessions – Oral Paper & Posters