Rogers, G. and Ponto, M. (2012) Are patients admitted to the virtual ward satisfied with the intervention of the community matron in their care pathway?. Progress in Health Sciences, 2(1), pp. 19-27. ISSN (print) 2083-1617

Abstract

Introduction: The concept of community matron was introduced by Department of Health strategies set up to address the needs of people in the UK with long-term conditions. Community matrons were seen as highly trained senior nurses who could improve the patient experience through case management at home, and reduce hospital admissions by facilitating self-care. Purpose: To explore whether the intervention of community matrons improves patient satisfaction with their care provision and prevents unplanned admission and re-admission to hospital. Materials and methods: A purposive sample of eleven patients was identified as being in the top 0.5% of unplanned emergency admissions using the Combined Risk Model algorithm; a list of emerging risk patients identified using 69 predictor variables to improve predictive accuracy. Semi-structured interviews were audio-taped and transcribed, and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) used to analyse data for emergent themes derived from patient experiences, which is a major strength of this technique. These themes were validated through peer group review, research supervisor oversight and post interview patient follow-up to obtain endorsement of the data captured. Results: There was an overwhelming wealth of evidence to suggest that all participants were highly satisfied by the intervention of the community matron and the virtual ward. Six themes emerged from the study. They were: Patients’ perception of the community matron; Confidence; Reassurance; A &E awareness; Feelings and Virtual ward experience. Conclusion: Patients on the virtual ward were very satisfied with the intervention of the community matron in whom they had confidence and trust leading to reduced anxiety and improved self-care. Key words: Community matrons, long term conditions, case management. __________________________________________________________________________________________

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