Abstract

The purpose of the study was to illustrate how district nurses’ in Primary Care and registered nurses’ in Detoxification clinics reflects on their attitudes regarding persons with alcohol and substance abuse and their reflections on how the care could improve for these patients. The study had a descriptive design where eight district nurses in Primary Care and eight registered nurses in Detoxification clinics from the South of Norrland were interviewed. The collected material was transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis and resulted in the theme Right to equal value, which describes that persons with alcohol and substance abuse, should be treated equally as any other persons. Results are presented in five categories and fourteen subcategories. Category Thoughts of encounter describes the participants expe­riences positive and negative encounter, respectful encounter at home visits and acknowled­gement of the patient. The Holistic humanity described how the participants see on their pro­fessional approach, understanding of addiction disease and human dignity. Difficult situations highlighted participants’ experiences of aggression, insecurity and threat of violence at home visits. The category Organizational improvement areas outlined the participants’ desire for access to training, increasing resources to care for this group of persons well as cooperation be­tween all health facilities. The category Individual development includes the importance of showing respect and gain more knowledge.

Keywords: Alcohol, equal value, nurses attitudes/encounter, substance abuse, primary health care