“We can solve the hardest challenges with just singing”. A qualitative study of healthcare staff’s experiences of Music-Based Care (MBC) in nursing homes

BackgroundExperience of care is a pillar of quality care; positive experiences are essential during health care encounters and integral to quality health service delivery. Yet, we lack synthesised knowledge of how private sector delivery of quality care affects experiences of care amongst mothers, newborns, and children. To fill this gap, we conducted a systematic review that examined quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies on the provision of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) care by private providers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This manuscript focuses on experience of care, including respectful care, and satisfaction with care.MethodsOur protocol followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Searches were conducted in eight electronic databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, EconLit, Excerpta Medica Database, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Popline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) and two websites and supplemented with hand-searches and expert recommendations. For inclusion, studies examining private sector delivery of quality care amongst mothers, newborns, and children in LMICs must have examined maternal, newborn, and/or child morbidity or mortality; quality of care; experience of care; and/or service utilisation. Data were extracted for descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.ResultsOf the 139 studies included, 45 studies reported data on experience of care. Most studies reporting experience of care were conducted in India, Bangladesh, and Uganda. Experiences of private care amongst mothers, newborns, and children aligned with four components of quality of care: patient-centeredness, timeliness, effectiveness, and equity. Interpersonal relationships with health care workers were essential to experience of care, in particular staff friendliness, positive attitudes, and time spent with health care providers. Experience of care can be a stronger determining factor in MNCH-related decision-making than the quality of services provided.ConclusionPositive experiences of care in private facilities can be linked more broadly to privileges of private care that allow for shorter waiting times and more provider time spent with mothers, newborns, and children. Little is known about experiences of private sector care amongst children.Trial registrationThis systematic review was registered with the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (registration number CRD42019143383).

Review Questions/Objectives This systematic review seeks to synthesise the evidence on the experiences of care received by elderly patients in the emergency department in the hospital setting. Review questions The specific review questions to be addressed are: What is the evidence on elderly patients’ experiences of the overall care received in the emergency department? What is the evidence on elderly patients’ experiences of the nursing care received in the emergency department? What is the evidence on the needs identified by elderly patients in the emergency department? Inclusion Criteria Types of participants The review will consider studies that include male and female patients of all ethnic groups who are 65 years old and above, and admitted into the emergency department with urgent as well as non-urgent health-related issues. Phenomena of interest The review will consider studies that include the following phenomena of interest: elderly patients’ experiences of care at an emergency department. Context The review will consider studies that will include contexts such as the emergency department in the acute care hospital settings in all countries. Outcomes of Interest The outcomes of interest include but are not restricted to the following: Experiences of overall care received by elderly patients in the emergency department. Experiences of nursing care received by elderly patients in the emergency department. Identified needs of elderly patients when receiving care in the emergency department.

Primary care and other health services have been disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the consequences of these service disruptions on patients' care experiences remain largely unstudied. People with mental-physical multimorbidity are vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic, and to sudden service disruptions. It is thus essential to better understand how their care experiences have been impacted by the current pandemic. This study aims to improve understanding of the care experiences of people with mental-physical multimorbidity during the pandemic and identify strategies to enhance these experiences. We will conduct a mixed-methods study with multi-phase approach involving four distinct phases. Phase 1 will be a qualitative descriptive study in which we interview individuals with mental-physical multimorbidity and health professionals in order to explore the impacts of the pandemic on care experiences, as well as their perspectives on how care can be improved. The results of this phase will inform the design of study phases 2 and 3. Phase 2 will involve journey mapping exercises with a sub-group of participants with mental-physical multimorbidity to visually map out their care interactions and experiences over time and the critical moments that shaped their experiences. Phase 3 will involve an online, cross-sectional survey of care experiences administered to a larger group of people with mental disorders and/or chronic physical conditions. In phase 4, deliberative dialogues will be held with key partners to discuss and plan strategies for improving the delivery of care to people with mental-physical multimorbidity. Pre-dialogue workshops will enable us to synthesize an prepare the results from the previous three study phases. Our study results will generate much needed evidence of the positive and negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care experiences of people with mental-physical multimorbidity and shed light on strategies that could improve care quality and experiences.

Indigenous Australians experience a greater burden of cancer than other Australians, but there is little systematic information about their experiences of cancer care. Patient-centred care is increasingly recognised as one of the core domains of quality care, alongside clinical effectiveness and patient safety. Qualitative studies have identified significant issues relating to Indigenous patients' experiences of cancer care, but these data are often insufficient to inform and evaluate health service improvement. We need to establish appropriate methods that will lead to systematic, routinely collected, accurate, population-based data on the experiences of care of Indigenous people with cancer, and determine how best to translate these data into improvements in the delivery of care to this population. Genuine Indigenous leadership and involvement will be necessary, with the whole approach underpinned by the primary aim of improving health outcomes for this population.

Older people's experiences in acute care settings: Systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies

Perceptions of healthcare professionals’ psychological wellbeing at work and the link to patients’ experiences of care: A scoping review

ObjectivesTo explore the family members’ subjective experiences of prolonged care for individuals suffering from moderate to severe dementia and to provide evidence supporting the development of support strategies and precise interventions targeting this group.MethodsA purposive sampling method was used to select family members of patients with moderate to severe dementia within the neurology department of a hospital in Chengdu City for face-to-face in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the seven-step analysis of data from the Colaizzi phenomenological study.ResultsThree main themes were identified in this study: (1) Pressures and burdens faced, (2) Lack of social support, (3) Positive changes. In addition, 11 sub-themes were extracted as the subjective experience of prolonged care among family members of patients with moderate to severe dementia.ConclusionThe subjective feelings of families of patients with moderate to severe dementia about prolonged care are complex and specific. Family members face tremendous pressures, still lack social support, and lack coordinated communication among communities, families, and hospitals. In the future, we should learn from the practical experience of prolonged care in foreign countries, fully integrate with China’s national conditions, promote the improvement of the prolonged care system for patients with dementia, accelerate the construction of community-based professional care institutions, gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and needs faced by family members, enhance their experience of care, improve their quality of life, and help the patients and family members to better pass through the stage of moderate-to-severe disease.

BackgroundQuality maternal care is crucial to improve outcomes for both mothers and newborns. Many initiatives to improve maternal care concentrate on improving clinical practice. However, women’s experiences of care are also important determinants of health outcomes. Establishing strong interpersonal relationships between health workers and women is essential for delivering high-quality person-centered care, with health workers who empathize with women, respect their needs and concerns, and communicate effectively. Aligned with the World Health Organization standards of care framework, this study aimed to explore women’s experiences of care during labour and childbirth, focusing on communication, respectful, and supportive care.MethodsA qualitative exploratory study was conducted with postpartum women in rural district hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. Purposive sampling was used to recruit women from communities within the hospitals’ catchment areas. Data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in the local language of participants. Five FGDs were conducted between January and April 2023. Inductive thematic analysis using NVivo v12 was employed to analyze the data.FindingsA few women described positive experiences of care, but most women reported suboptimal care characterized by poor communication, lack of privacy, and disrespectful treatment. Participants described experiences of verbal and physical abuse, being called demeaning names, facing invasive procedures without providing consent, and inadequate emotional support, such as their concerns being systematically ignored and birth companions being denied entry to labour wards. Some women responded to these challenges through various coping mechanisms including staying quiet to avoid confrontation, following instructions rigidly, seeking advice from other women in the labour ward, and in some cases standing up for themselves. Some women described persistent anger and distress as a result of their experiences.ConclusionThe findings of the study highlight persistent gaps in effective communication and supportive care for women during labour and childbirth. Possible interventions could be aimed at improving communication skills of health workers as well as fostering a culture of empathy and respect for women in their care. In addition, empowering women through antenatal education and implementing birth companion policies could further improve women’s experiences during labour and childbirth.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-025-08334-0.

IntroductionA number of significant changes designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 were introduced in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ireland, these included fundamental legislative and practice changes such as permitting electronic transfer of prescriptions, extending duration of prescription validity, and encouraging virtual consultations. Although such interventions served an important role in preventing the spread of infection, their impact on practice and patient care is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate patient and healthcare professional (pharmacist and general practitioner) experiences to understand the impact of COVID-19 on primary care and medication safety during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was undertaken between October 2021 and January 2022. Participants included twelve patients, ten community pharmacists, and one general practitioner. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Only patient and pharmacist interviews were included. FindingsThemes from the interviews included: 1) Access to care, 2) Technological changes, 3) Experiences of care, and 4) Patient safety. Particular challenges identified included the difficulty faced by patients when accessing care, impacts on experiences of patient care, and extensive changes to pharmacy practice during the pandemic. ConclusionsThis study found that COVID-19 countermeasures considerably impacted patient and pharmacist experiences of primary care in terms of care and medication safety. While many changes were welcomed, others such as virtual consultations were received more cautiously likely due to the rapid and unplanned nature of their introduction. Further research is needed to identify how to optimise these changes to improve pharmacist and patient experience, and to understand the impact on patient safety.

BackgroundPerson-centred maternal care is associated with positive experiences in high-income countries. Little is known about the transferability of this concept to non-Western, low-income settings. We aimed to explore women’s experiences of care and investigate satisfaction with antenatal care (ANC) in relation to person-centred care and unmet psychosocial needs in rural Ethiopia.MethodsDesign: facility-based, convergent mixed-method study. A cross-sectional survey included 2079 consecutive women attending ANC at eight health centres. Service satisfaction was measured using a 21-item validated measure. Independent variables: [1] person-centred care (1A: receipt of information; 1B: perceived adequacy of health worker responses) and [2] unmet psychosocial needs (2A: Patient Health Questionnaire for depressive symptoms; 2B: screening questionnaire for intimate partner violence (IPV)). Linear mixed effect regression assessed hypothesized associations between person-centred care/unmet psychosocial needs and service satisfaction, accounting for clustering at the health centre level. A linked qualitative study comprised eight in-depth interviews with women accessing ANC. Structured observations of ANC consultations rated health worker competencies (n = 65) and adherence to guidance promoting person-centred care (n = 53). Qualitative data were analysed thematically and triangulated with quantitative and observational data.ResultsWomen reported lowest satisfaction in relation to family involvement (71.5% dissatisfied) and continuity of care (65.7% dissatisfied). As hypothesised, satisfaction increased with more information received (adjusted regression coefficient (ARC) 0.96 95%CI 0.71,1.20) but reported adequacy of help from health workers did not show a dose-response relationship (test-for-trend p = 0.157). Undetected depressive symptoms (ARC − 0.21 95%CI -0.27,-0.15) and IPV (ARC − 1.52; 95%CI -2.43,-0.61) were associated with lower service satisfaction scores. Most observed consultations scored low on most indicators of person-centred care. In qualitative interviews, women valued respectful and responsive communication from health workers, which affected their willingness to disclose psychosocial problems. Triangulation of findings indicated a mismatch between what women valued about care, their reported satisfaction with care and the actual care they were observed to receive.ConclusionsSystems strengthening interventions to support person-centred maternal care appear contextually relevant but need to increase women’s expectations of care and agency to demand change. Prioritization of person-centred care could improve women’s experience of maternal care and better address psychosocial needs.

ObjectivesTo explore how Somali women exposed to female genital mutilation experience and perceive antenatal and intrapartum care in England. We explored women's perceptions of deinfibulation, caesarean section and vaginal delivery;...

Women's experience of early pregnancy care in the emergency department: A qualitative study

ObjectivesTo understand from a patient and carer perspective: (1) what features of the discharge process could be improved to avoid early unplanned hospital readmission (within 72 hours of acute care...

Hospital care or home care after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – Patients' experiences of care and support

This article reports original research that describes new mothers' experiences of birth and maternity care. Qualitative data were collected through a survey on birth satisfaction, which included space for women to provide comments about their birth and experience of care. Thirty-nine women provided comments that were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Two themes emerged from the women's experiences: "Unexpected birth processes: expectations and reality" and "Coping with birth: the role of health-care staff." Participants described unexpected birthing processes, their experiences of care, and maternity care staff's contributions to coping with birth. Implications for practice for childbirth professionals include promotion of physiologic birth, respectful person-centered care during all phases of perinatal care, and the value of childbirth preparation.