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Older women, medication use and nursing care |
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| Authors: | Jennifer Watson RN RM PhD FRCNA,,Trish Mitchell RN DipTeaching BA MNg,,Charlotte deCrespigny RN BNg MRCNA,,Carol Grbich PhD, & Annie Biggins RN RM |
| Affiliation: | Professor of Clinical Nursing and Research, Northern Territory University, Faculty of Science, Casuarina, Australia; Lecturer, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia; Lecturer, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia; Senior Lecturer, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia; Lecturer, Flinders University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Abstract: | Watson J, Mitchell T, deCrespigny C, Grbich C, Biggins A. International Journal of Nursing Practice 1998; 4 : 189–196 Older women, medication use and nursing care The purpose of this study is to listen to and interpret the experiences of independent older women in the community regarding their medication use. Their experiences were examined regarding medication information, sources of information, types of medication used, relationships with health care professionals and social support systems. The techniques used for data collection included guided qualitative semistructured interviews based on the principle of empowerment and notions of ideal and nonhierarchical communication. The emergent themes show that for these older women general practitioners were important in their medication experiences. Whilst trusted as carers in the acute care setting, registered nurses did not play a role in the medication experiences of these older women. Registered nurses are perceived as 'traditional carers' associated with medical and acute care settings. Although medication issues emerged that ideally required attention, the older women in this study generally perceived themselves to be capable of actively managing their health and medication use. |
| Keywords: | drugs nursing care older women |