Psychological support and patient‐centered care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Nurses' opinions and practice in Japan

AIM: To investigate nurses' opinions and practices regarding psychological support and patient-centered care (PCC) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHOD: Registered nurses engaged in rheumatic care in Japan were asked to complete the questionnaire regarding nurses' perceived necessity, understanding, and implementation of psychological support, and six patient supports related to PCC, using a seven-point Likert scale. Correlation on practice between psychological support and PCC was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 53 nurses participated. Nurses indicated high necessity of providing psychological support, whereas implementation was statistically significantly lower than necessity and motivation. Nurses' answers showed significantly lower implementation compared with understanding regarding basic concepts of psychological support: listening, empathy, acceptance, open questions, and closed questions. Most nurses (54.7%) sometimes provided psychological support, followed by often (34.0%), always (5.7%), and not at all (5.6%). Perceived necessity of PCC was rated high. However, its implementation was significantly lower than necessity for all evaluated cares, such as patients' need-based support and support to patients' families, related to PCC. Positive correlations were observed between the implementation of psychological support and PCC. Nurses stressed the importance of psychological support for patient education and shared decision-making. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study indicated that most nurses considered psychological support and PCC necessary, but their implementation was relatively low. As psychological support is also crucial to shared decision-making, in addition to PCC, barriers to its implementation should be addressed to improve patients' outcomes and quality of life.