Scratching the Surface—Person-Centered Knowledge Morally and Professionally Commits Nurses: An Interview Study

Background

Regardless of the tight schedule in outpatient settings caring should be based on patients believes of what is important in relation to maintain everyday life. Guided self-determination (GSD) is a method that supports reflection, collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Purpose

The purpose was to examine clinical nurses’ and ward managers experience of GSD during radiation or outpatient chemotherapy treatment.

Method

A qualitative interview study using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach was used.

Findings

Two overall themes were generated “GSD is meaningful to both clinical nurses, ward managers, and patients” and “GSD creates an extraordinary room for counseling incompatible with clinical practice in a short-term contact but causing moral distress”.

Conclusion

All nurses experienced the GSD intervention to be meaningful but difficult to implement in a busy technical field. This created a dilemma in everyday clinical practice with the risk of causing moral distress. The nurses used different strategies to cope with this.