Nursing students' experiences of a home visiting programme for older adults with multimorbidity (VISITAME project): A phenomenological study

Abstract

Introduction: Nursing students should acquire competence in promoting self-care in older adults with chronic multimorbidity, but opportunities for clinical practice are limited. The implementation of a home visiting programme to community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity could contribute to nursing students' acquisition of this competence. Objective: The aim of our study was to understand the experience of nursing students participating in a home visiting programme to community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity. Design: Qualitative study based on Gadamer's hermeneutic phenomenology. Method: Twenty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with nursing students participating in a home visiting programme. Data were recorded, transcribed and analysed following the procedure developed by Fleming. Results: Three main themes were extracted in the data analysis process: (1) ‘living the theory. Experience as a catalyst for learning’, (2) ‘the home visiting programme as a tool for promoting competence in caring for older adults’, and (3) ‘when learning sparks interest in working with older adults’. Conclusion: The home visiting programme to community-dwelling older adults has an important impact on the personal and professional development of nursing students. The experience of the home visiting programme leads to deep learning that sparks interest in caring for older adults. The implementation of a home visiting programme could be a beneficial strategy for the acquisition of competence to promote health and self-care. © 2023 The Authors