Encountering Adults With Schizophrenia in Home Settings: A Qualitative Study of Home Health Care Nurses' Experiences

Abstract

Little is known about home care nurses' experiences caring for adults with schizophrenia post-discharge to the home setting; or how they form relationships with these adults. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of home health care nurses (HHCNs) in caring for adults with schizophrenia following discharge from an inpatient psychiatric unit to home. The specific aims of the study were to: (a) explore the experiences of HHCNs caring for adults with schizophrenia discharged from the inpatient psychiatric unit to home; and (b) describe HHCNs' process of building and maintaining therapeutic relationships with adults with schizophrenia following discharge from an inpatient psychiatric unit to home. Data were collected using a qualitative descriptive design from a purposive sample of 16 registered nurses across the United States. Six themes were identified from the data: interprofessional communication and information exchange, coordination of care, first encounter, building the nurse–patient relationship with the patient, mitigating risk and sense of fulfilment. The findings of this study offer a new and unique insight into the HHCNs' experiences of caring for adults with schizophrenia that are useful to consider in future training and support for home care nurses.