The patient´s first point of contact in primary care – registered nurses´ communication and initial assessment

Research problem and specific questions: In primary care, registered nurses (RN) are usually the patient´s first point of contact and those who carry out initial assessments and priorities.

Assessments and priorities are complex, as health problems and illness severity must be weighed against accessibility and available resources.

The purpose of this research is to investigate key principles and conflicts of goals in RNs’ initial assessments related to the priority of patients’ needs and care provision in primary care.Data and method: This is an observational descriptive multicentre study, consisting of three work packages (WP1-3).

Participants include RNs and patients from primary care.

Data will be collected with audio-recordings of real time clinical communication, with stimulated recalls and qualitative interviews, individually or in focus groups.

Data processing and analysis will be made quantitatively and qualitatively using VR-CoDES, thematic analysis, and phenomenography.Plan for project realisation: Recruitment of participants and data collection will take place in close collaboration with clinical managers and RNs. Data will be collected with audio-recordings between ten nurses and a total of 50 patients (WP1).

These ten nurses will then participate in an individual qualitative interview in combination with stimulated recall (WP2). In WP3, four to six qualitative focus group interviews will be conducted with a total of 30 RNs in primary care.

During the project, seminars and workshops will be arranged with clinically active RNs and patients to stimulate discussions, co-creation and validation of the research.Relevance: In primary care, RNs’ communication becomes pivotal for the initial assessment and prioritization of the patient´s needs and for continued care.

There is a need for additional knowledge about key principles for RNs communication and assessment, to implement in these care processes.