Tasks and responsibilities in physical activity promotion of older patients during hospitalization: A nurse perspective

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate how nurses perceive tasks and responsibilities in promoting physical activity during hospitalization of older patients and which factors are of influence.\n\nDesignObservational cohort study\n\nSetting and participantsOne hundred and eight nurse students, nurses and nurse supervisors employed by an academic Dutch teaching hospital participated in a questionnaire survey and 51 nurses took part in a subsequent in-depth interview.\n\nMeasuresData were collected on tasks and responsibilities in physical activity promotion and their influencing factors as perceived by nurses. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data from the questionnaire survey and a deductive approach with directed content analysis was used for the data from the interviews.\n\nResultsNurses perceived to have a dominant role in physical activity promotion of older patients during hospitalization. Ninety percent of the nurses stated to be responsible for physical activity promotion and 32 percent stated to be satisfied with the actual level of physical activity of their patients. Influencing factors were low patient motivation, high workload causing priority shifts of tasks and the role of physicians.\n\nConclusionAlthough their perceived dominant role in physical activity promotion, nurses identified a number of barriers interfering with actual level of physical activity. Improvement strategies should involve physicians, patients and carers.