Perspectives on the delegation of hygienic care in the context of home nursing: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: In light of current trends and healthcare evolutions, delegation of patient care from home nurses to health care assistants (HCAs) is increasingly important. Hygienic care is an essential component of nursing education and practice, yet it has rarely been the subject of scientific literature.

AIM: To understand the opinions and experiences of home nurses and policy makers with regard to the meaning of hygienic care and the delegation of these acts in the context of home nursing.

METHODS: A descriptive qualitative study (six focus groups with home nurses and two with policy makers from the Belgian home nursing sector). Content analysis of the data and the use of NVivo 11.0 software.

FINDINGS: Hygienic care is a cyclical care process of continuously investing in a trusting relationship with a patient, assessing their care needs and ability for self-care and taking action and evaluating care as situations change. All of this must be mutally agreed with the patient and should consider their environment and lifestyle. The decision to delegate hygienic care is based on patient assessments and the patient's specific care needs using nursing diagnoses and indicators. Finally, barriers and facilitating factors for both delegating and providing hygienic care were addressed.

CONCLUSION: Hygienic care is a crucial component of nursing care, that can be delegated to HCAs with the necessary supervision.