Patientinddragelse i det grønlandske hospitalsvæsen

Fra vision til praksis

Abstract

While the Greenlandic National Health Service aims to involve citizens in the prevention and treatment of illnesses, it remains unclear how such patient involvement can be understood, developed, and implemented in contemporary hospital care. As part of a larger study, this article contributes to filling this gap in knowledge by identifying and discussing drivers and barriers to patient involvement in a Greenlandic hospital care context. It draws on empirical data generated from 2018-2020 via semi-structured research interviews and field observations at Greenland’s national hospital in Nuuk, Dronning Ingridip Napparsimavissua. A
total of 11 patients and 14 healthcare professionals were included in this study to ensure variation regarding age and sex, patients’ diagnoses, place of residence, and other socio-demographic factors. Healthcare professionals were also invited to participate based on their medical specialty and experience. Observations of bedside care situations and other interactions between healthcare professionals and patients, including informal conversations, were conducted. Findings were analysed using Malterud’s systematic text condensation, constituting the following themes: ’Patients’ perspectives on the organization of care’; ’Health professionals’ perspectives on the organization of their work’, and ’Organizational barriers to patient involvement’. Based on a critical discussion of these findings, it is concluded that patient involvement will not be accomplished by simply focusing on patients’ health competencies and actions. To ensure that hospital care is provided in real partnership with patients and families, it is crucial that patient treatment is reorganized to include a more patient-oriented approach, and that healthcare professionals become aware of the significance of patients’ perspectives and develop new skills to integrate humanistic healthcare into their clinical practice.