Depressive symptoms and/or depression are commonly experienced by older people. Both are underdiagnosed, undertreated and regularly overlooked by healthcare professionals. Healthcare facilities for people aged ≥75 years have been in place in Sweden since 2015. The aim of these care centres, which are managed by registered nurses (RNs), is to offer care adjusted to cater to the complex needs and health problems of older people. Although the mental health of older people is prioritised in these centres, research into the experience of RNs of depressive symptoms and/or depression in older people in this setting is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to illuminate RNs, working at care centres for older people, experience of identifying and intervening in cases of depressive symptoms. The data for this qualitative descriptive study were collected through interviews (n = 10) with RNs working at 10 care centres for older people in southern Sweden. The transcribed texts were analysed using inductive content analysis. The participants’ experiences could be understood from four predominant themes: (1) challenging to identify, (2) described interventions, (3) prerequisites for identification, and (4) contextual influences. Key findings were that it was difficult to identify depression as it often manifested as physical symptoms; evidence-based nursing interventions were generally not the first-line treatment used; trust, continuity and the ability of RNs to think laterally; and the context influenced the ability of RNs to manage older people’s depressive symptoms and/or depression. The process of identifying depressive symptoms and performing an appropriate intervention was found to be complex, especially as older people were reluctant to present at the centres and provided obscure reasons for doing so. A nurse-patient relationship that was built on trust and was characterised by continuity of care was identified as a necessary prerequisite. Appropriate nursing interventions—afforded the same status as pharmacological treatment—are warranted as the first-line treatment of depression. Further research is also needed into efficacious nursing interventions targeting depressive symptoms and/or depression.

中文翻译：

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注册护士在老年人护理中心管理抑郁症状的经验：定性描述性研究


老年人通常会经历抑郁症状和/或抑郁。两者都没有得到充分的诊断和治疗，并且经常被医疗保健专业人员忽视。自 2015 年以来，瑞典已为 75 岁以上人群建立了医疗保健设施。这些护理中心由注册护士 (RN) 管理，其目的是提供经过调整的护理，以满足老年人的复杂需求和健康问题。人们。尽管这些中心优先考虑老年人的心理健康，但对这种情况下老年人抑郁症状和/或抑郁症的注册护士的经历的研究有限。因此，本研究旨在阐明在老年人护理中心工作的注册护士识别和干预抑郁症状病例的经验。这项定性描述性研究的数据是通过对在瑞典南部 10 个老年人护理中心工作的注册护士进行访谈 (n = 10) 收集的。使用归纳内容分析对转录文本进行分析。参与者的经历可以从四个主要主题来理解：(1) 识别的挑战性，(2) 描述的干预措施，(3) 识别的先决条件，以及 (4) 背景影响。主要发现是，很难识别抑郁症，因为它通常表现为身体症状；循证护理干预措施通常不是一线治疗方法； RN 的信任、连续性和横向思考能力；背景影响了注册护士管理老年人抑郁症状和/或抑郁症的能力。 发现抑郁症状并进行适当干预的过程很复杂，特别是当老年人不愿意出现在中心并提供了模糊的理由时。建立在信任基础上并以连续性护理为特征的护患关系被认为是必要的先决条件。适当的护理干预——具有与药物治疗相同的地位——是抑郁症的一线治疗方法。还需要进一步研究针对抑郁症状和/或抑郁症的有效护理干预措施。