Home administration of needle injections for children with rheumatic diseases: A qualitative study on nurses’ perception of their educational role

Abstract

Purpose To explore nurses' perceptions of their educational role, pedagogical competence, and practice in teaching children with rheumatic diseases and their parents to manage subcutaneous injections at home. Design and methods In this qualitative study, we used thematic analysis to analyze data from three focus groups with 14 nurses responsible for patient education at one pediatric ward and two outpatient clinics. Results We identified three main themes capturing nurses' perceptions of their educational role: myriad expectations, awareness of own competence, and facilitation and prioritization of patient education. Nurses perceived patient education as an expected but challenging duty of their work. They described a lack of pedagogical competence, insecurity in managing parents' and children's fears and worries, and limited organizational structures guiding their educational role. Nurses who worked in outpatient clinics felt freer to individualize education compared to ward nurses. Conclusions Nurses perceive their educational role as significant in enabling children and parents to manage subcutaneous injections at home; however, they require pedagogical competence integrated with daily practice to provide high-quality care. Short-term admissions require a different organization of patient education than before.