Det främsta arbetsredskapet ? Sjuksköterskans erfarenheter av det vårdande samtalet med patienter inom psykiatrisk öppenvård
Psychiatric nursingNurse´s experiencesCommunicationCaring conversationPerson centred nursingNurse-patient relation
Introduction: The conversation is one of the main components of the nursing process in psychiatric care. The preunderstanding on this research field is described based on theoretical concepts that together form the basis for understanding the study; nurse's role in psychiatric care, communication and caring relationship, as well as theories of the caring conversation and person-centered care. Research on the caring conversation as a theory and how it is experienced by patients existed, however, no research from the nurse's perspective was found.Aim: The aim of the study was to describe nurses' experiences of the caring conversation with patients in psychiatric open care units.Method: Qualitative research interviews were conducted with six nurses working in outpatient psychiatric care in the west region in Sweden. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and then analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis as described by Graneheim and Lundman (2004).Results: Four categories with related subcategories were distinguished throughout the analysis: The caring conversation, The importance of the care plan, Limitations and Caring based on the patients narrative.Discussion: An uncertainty about what caring conversation is and what it should contain creates uncertainty in the nurse's work. This results in a need for training for the individual nurse and the further research to obtain evidence for the importance of conversation in caring work. Parallels could be drawn between the nurses' experiences of the conversation and the theory of the caring conversation and patient centered care. The experience was of importance for the nurses to create a feeling of confidence in the conversation related work. Not being able to meet the patient's needs was seen as a limitation and can create a feeling of inadequacy. Group supervision can be one way for nurses to share experience and express perceived limitations.The care plan was one of the few foundations that the nurse thought, gave structure to the conversation. Nourishing components were evident in how the nurses described the nurturing of the patient's narration. The nurse's ability to listen and to create space for an exchange of knowledge between him/her and the patient highlights prominent in psychiatric care.