Sammanfattning
Good encounters are fundamental for good and professional nursing care, and can be described
as treating patients with respect and protecting their integrity and autonomy. This study describes
district nurses' views on quality of healthcare encounters in primary healthcare. A purposive sample
of 27 district nurses participated in five focus group interviews. The focus groups interviews were
digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. The interview texts were analysed using a thematic
content analysis. The analysis resulted in four themes, including being aware of the importance and
difficulties during encounters, being the patient's advocate, being attentive to the unique person and
being informed when a meeting turned out poorly. The results show that district nurses believed that
encounters formed the basis of their work and it was vital for them to be aware of any difficulties.
District nurses found that acting in a professional manner during encounters is the most significant
factor, but this type of interaction was sometimes difficult because of stress and lack of time. The
district nurses considered themselves to be the patients' advocate in the healthcare system; in
addition, the acts of seeing, listening, believing and treating the patient seriously were important for
providing good quality care. If a poor encounter occurred between the district nurse and the patient,
the district nurses found that it was necessary to arrange a meeting to properly communicate what
problems arose during the interaction. The district nurses highlighted that providing an apology and
explanation could improve future encounters and establish a better nurse-patient relationship. In
conclusion, this study shows the importance of confirming and respecting patients' dignity as the
fundamental basis for a good quality encounter in primary healthcare.