AimsTo explore the possible extension of the illness script theory used in medicine to the nursing context.DesignA qualitative interview study.MethodsThe study was conducted between September 2019 and March 2020. Expert nurses were asked to think aloud about 20 patient problems in nursing. A directed content analysis approach including quantitative data processing was used to analyse the transcribed data.ResultsThrough the analysis of 3912 statements, scripts were identified and a nursing script model is proposed; the medical illness script, including enabling conditions, fault and consequences, is extended with management, boundary, impact, occurrence and explicative statements. Nurses often used explicative statements when pathophysiological causes are absent or unknown. To explore the applicability of Illness script theory we analysed scripts’ richness and maturity with descriptive statistics. Expert nurses, like medical experts, had rich knowledge of consequences, explicative statements and management of familiar patient problems.ConclusionThe knowledge of expert nurses about patient problems can be described in scripts; the components of medical illness scripts are also relevant in nursing. We propose to extend the original illness script concept with management, explicative statements, boundary, impact and occurrence, to enlarge the applicability of illness scripts in the nursing domain.ImpactIllness scripts guide clinical reasoning in patient care. Insights into illness scripts of nursing experts is a necessary first step to develop goals or guidelines for student nurses’ development of clinical reasoning. It might lay the groundwork for future educational strategies.
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PURPOSE: To study the preliminary effects and feasibility of the “Traffic Light Method for somatic screening and lifestyle” (TLM) in patients with severe mental illness. DESIGN AND METHODS: A pilot study using a quasi-experimental mixed method design with additional content analyses of lifestyle plans and logbooks. FINDINGS: Significant improvements were found in body weight and waist circumference. Positive trends were found in patients’ subjective evaluations of the TLM. The implementation of the TLM was considered feasible. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The TLM may contribute to a higher quality of care regarding somatic screening and lifestyle training.
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