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A mixed-design pilot study was undertaken to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an educational intervention based on the theory of human caring delivered to hemodialysis (HD) nurses in Switzerland. Participants were 9 nurses and 22 patients undergoing HD. Results showed that the proposed intervention had a high level of feasibility and acceptability. Following the intervention, participating nurses consolidated their caring attitudes/behaviours toward patients undergoing HD. The patients, for their part, perceived significant changes in the nurses' caring attitudes/behaviours following the intervention. Further research is needed to examine its effects on a larger population of nurses and patients.

An educational intervention was developed based on Watson's theory of human caring and dispensed to hemodialysis (HD) nurses in Nyon, Switzerland. HD patients point out that human contact with nurses can become therapeutic when characterized by caring. Research has documented the importance of the contribution of such caring practice to the rehabilitation of patients living with a chronic illness. This initiative supports the relevance of exploring humanistic caring practice in order to contribute to the rehabilitation of HD patients. The article presents the principal stages of the theoretical development of the educational intervention.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a fast-growing cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Patients suffering from CKD almost always develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that is often treated with haemodialysis (HD). In this context, the quality of the nurse-patient relationship (NPR) plays a major role in supporting the quality of life (QoL) of HD patients. This study examined the relationship between quality of nurse behaviours and attitudes as perceived by HD patients and QoL of these patients.Methods: The study used a cross-sectional correlational design. The sample consisted of 140 patients recruited in 10 HD units in French-speaking Switzerland. The Caring Nurse-Patient Interaction Scale (CNPI-70) was used to assess the NPR, and the French version of the WHOQOL-Bref was used to evaluate different dimensions of QoL. Random-intercept linear regressions adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics were used to study the relationship between patient-perceived quality of nurse caring attitudes and behaviours and patient QoL.Results: Patients reported a high frequency of caring attitudes and behaviours from their attending nurses, except relative to the dimension of spirituality. All the dimensions of patient QoL were positively influenced by the caring factor composing the CNPI-70. In particular, nurse attention to patient dignity when providing support for basic human needs seemed to be a major factor in patient QoL.Conclusions: Quality of NPR is essential to improving patient QoL. Interventions need to be developed to support quality of NPR.

Humanistic nursing practice constitutes the cornerstone of the nursing profession. However, according to some authors, such practice tends to fade over time in favour of non-humanistic behaviours. To contrast this tendency, an educational intervention (EI) based on Watson’s Theory of Human Caring was developed and tested in two pilot studies involving, respectively, rehabilitation nurses in Quebec (Canada) and haemodialysis (HD) nurses in Switzerland. In light of the positive results obtained in these, another study is being undertaken to examine more in depth the EI’s effects on both HD nurses and patients in French Switzerland. The EI is expected to have positive effects on quality of nurse-patient relationship (NPR), team cohesion, nurse quality of working life (QoWL), and patient quality of life (QoL). The study described in this protocol will use a mixed-method cluster randomised controlled trial design. For the quantitative component, nurse and patient data will be collected through questionnaires. The accessible population of 135 nurses and 430 patients will be clustered into 10 HD units. These units will be randomised into an experimental group (EG) and a waiting-list control group (WLCG). Measurements will be taken at baseline (pre-intervention) and repeatedly over time (post-intervention): immediately at EI completion and six and 12 months thereafter. For the qualitative portion of the study, 18 semi-structured interviews will be conducted with EG nurses picked at random two months after EI completion to explore perceived changes in nurse humanistic practice. Qualitative data will be analysed through the relational caring inquiry method, a phenomenological approach. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be computed from the quantitative data. The study described in this protocol will determine if and how the proposed EI promotes humanistic nursing practice and how this practice affects quality of NPR, nurse QoWL, and patient QoL. Moreover, it will lay the groundwork for offering the EI to nurses in other healthcare sectors. This clinical study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov [ NCT03283891 , 14/09/2017].

Health care professionals are increasingly called upon to work collaboratively. This commentary discusses our experience at the Summer Institute on Interdisciplinary Health Research, which aimed to increase the capacity of future Canadian researchers to work with health professionals from other disciplines. We discuss, in particular, our small group experience--the challenges we faced, and how we were able to resolve the internal conflicts that occurred. We also discuss the conditions necessary to engage in interdisciplinary work and offer suggestions to improve future initiatives to build interdisciplinary research capacity.