Preventive community nurse home visits: comparison between Slovenia and Sweden

Uvod: S staranjem prebivalstva naraščajo potrebe po preventivni zdravstveni oskrbi. Medicinske sestre v patronažnem varstvu lahko bistveno pripomorejo k informiranosti starostnikov in njihovih družinskih članov ter vplivajo na boljšo kvaliteto življenja starostnikov, na zdravje in dobro počutje. Namen: Namen diplomskega dela je predstaviti vsebino preventivnega obiska medicinskih sester v patronažnem varstvu starostnikov v domačem okolju ter predstaviti kompetence medicinskih sester v patronažnem varstvu v Sloveniji. Cilj diplomskega dela je opisati slovenski in švedski zdravstveni sistem glede na preventivne patronažne obiske starostnikov. Metode dela: Narejen je bil pregled domače in tuje strokovne in znanstvene literature ter pravnih virov. Na podlagi pregleda in analize zbranega gradiva smo naredili primerjavo vsebine in obsega preventivnih patronažnih obiskov starostnikov v Sloveniji in na Švedskem. V pregled literature je bilo vključenih 11 enot gradiv. Rezultati: Iz primerjave preventivnih zdravstvenih programov pri starostniku smo ugotovili, da je slovenski sistem v nekaterih segmentih boljši od švedskega, vendar še vedno vidimo možnosti za izboljšavo. Preventivne patronažne obiske pri starostnikih v Sloveniji izvajajo diplomirane medicinske sestre, medtem ko na Švedskem te obiske izvajajo diplomirane medicinske sestre, ki so naredile eno dodatno leto specializacije. Vsebina preventivnih obiskov medicinskih sester v patronažnem varstvu na Švedskem je zdravstveno vzgojne narave, medtem ko v Sloveniji medicinske sestre v patronažnem varstvu v okviru teh obiskov naredijo tudi fizični pregled starostnika ter ovrednotijo njegovo zdravstveno in socialno stanje ter ocenijo odnos starostnika z ostalimi družinskimi člani. Na Švedskem so medicinske sestre v patronažnem varstvu bolj izobražene, samostojne in imajo več kompetenc v primerjavi z medicinskimi sestrami v patronažnem varstvu v Sloveniji. Razprava in zaključek: Tako v Sloveniji kot tudi na Švedskem se zavedajo pomena preventivnih obiskov medicinskih sester v patronažnem varstvu pri starostnikih, vendar se kljub vsemu premalo pozornosti posveča preventivnim obiskom. Potrebno bi bilo graditi na tem, da bi bile medicinske sestre v patronažnem varstvu v Sloveniji bolj samostojne, s tem pa bi lahko prej ukrepale in hitreje preprečile nadaljnje težave starostnikov. To bi lahko uredili tudi s specializacijo, s katero bi lahko pridobile tudi možnost predpisovanja zdravil z omejene liste in s predpisovanjem medicinskih pripomočkov.Introduction: Due to the aging of the population, the need for preventive health care among the elderly is growing. Preventive visits by community health nurses improve the quality of life of the elderly and can contribute significantly to the increase of knowledge of the elderly and their family members. Purpose: The purpose of the diploma work is to present the contents of preventive visits of community health nurses of elderly persons and to present the competencies of community health nurses in Slovenia. The aim of the diploma work is to describe the Slovenian and Swedish health systems according to preventive home visits of the elderly. Methods: A descriptive method was used in the diploma thesis, with a systematic overview of domestic and foreign literature. After review and analysis of the collected literature, preventive home visits of the elderly in Slovenia and Sweden were compared. 11 units of literature were used in the literature review. Results: After comparing the two health systems, the Slovenian system seems more appropriate in certain segments than the Swedish system, but there is still some potential for improvement. In Slovenia, preventive visits of the elderly are conducted by community health nurses, while in Sweden they are carried out by community health nurses with one additional year of specialty education. The content of the preventive visits in Sweden is more educational, while in Slovenia community health nurses also perform physical examinations and evaluate health and social status of the elderly, as well as evaluate family relationships. In Sweden, community health nurses are more educated, autonomous and have more competencies compared to community health nurses in Slovenia. Discussion and conclusion: Both Slovenia and Sweden are aware of the importance of preventive visits of the elderly by community health nurses, but despite that, there is not enough attention being paid to preventive visits. It is necessary to build on the fact that community health nurses in Slovenia should be more autonomous, thereby acting faster in preventing further health problems in the elderly. This could be accomplished by offering community nurses additional specialty education, enabling them to prescribe medical technical devices and medications from a limited list