"La relation du rôle joué par le personnel infirmier sur la prise de rôle de la personne âgée en établissement de soins prolongés

Abstract

The relationship between the role played by nursing personnel and the role taken by elderly persons in long-term care institutions This article is based on a study undertaken to explore whether the role played by nursing care personnel influenced the development of a particular role in institutionalized elderly persons. Five groups, each comprising an elderly person residing in a long-term care facility and one or two nursing staff members, participated in the study. Bales' Interaction Process Analysis and an interaction content analysis were used in specific nursing care situations to collect data on role relationships. An interview questionnaire directed at the elderly was developed to analyze ten variables conceived as having potential to influence role-taking. The elderly residents' medical records were also used to collect data. Chi-square was used as an index of goodness of fit of the interaction classification between observers. This test did not reach the anticipated probability level. However, analysis of the data collected was continued with the purpose of acquiring more knowledge about nurse-resident interaction in the geriatric setting. A descriptive analysis was made of the interview questionnaire and of the medical record. The interaction profiles of groups and individual group members were obtained from interaction process analysis. Functional and structural role indices were calculated for each subject. Results indicate that the Index of Degree of Control is higher for nursing care personnel than it is for elderly residents. With the exception of one, elderly residents obtain an Index of Generalized Status, as defined by Bales, that is higher than that for nursing care personnel. The elderly's generalized status, as defined above, is found to be inversely proportional to their degree of autonomy. Interaction content analysis supports these finding. Analysis of the interview questionnaire lends further support to the interpretation of the results.