Nurse‐patient Interaction in the Home Setting

Nurses' interactive behaviors with perinatal patients in the home setting, as well as nurse‐patient perceptions of home visits were examined. Data were obtained from 18 public health nurses and 55 perinatal patients. Results based on Bales's interaction process analysis revealed that 53.8 percent of the nurses' visits were related to asking for or giving information, while only 7.9 percent were categorized as friendly. Patients, however, perceived the nurses as friendly to them and others present. Although other differences in perceptions did emerge between nurses and patients, both groups were uncertain whether they had agreed on goals to work toward, which suggests the need for consumer involvement in the nursing process.