Ida Røed Flyum

Home care is a central part of our health services. Nevertheless, we have limited research-based knowledge about nursing practice itself in this complex context. Nursing practice in this context requires a high degree of security, knowledge and competence, especially when it comes to being able to detect and handle early signs of deterioration in the health condition of older service recipients. Considering the negative effects associated with functional ability limitations and frailty and the fact that nurses have a key responsibility related to detection and prevention it is vital that nurses are supported in their practice within the complex and often challenging context of homecare. Therefore, this doctoral project has mapped published literature on how functional ability limitations and frailty among older people is described and identified models of care targeting these two conditions. Following this we will use observations and interviews to describe and explore nursing practice aimed at functional ability limitations and frailty among older people receiving home-based nursing care. The knowledge we gain from these observations and interviews will be used to develop an intervention: a program for strengthening the attention to and awareness of nurses' professional identity and clinical decision-making process.

One overarching goal of this PhD project is to generate research-based knowledge with the aim of strengthening and developing home-based nursing services. It is essential to effectively utilise the competencies of various healthcare personnel in this context. Doing so will aid in retaining and recruiting the expertise necessary for both the service and its recipients. A knowledge-based, systematic way of working will ensure that symptoms and signs of deterioration of health condition is detected and dealt with early. Such practice will save lives and finances as well as improve the quality of life and health among older people and significant others. This is how we believe and hope that the knowledge we develop through this project will be useful, both for those who perform and those who receive home-based nursing care.

For a brief scientific summary see: https://ldh.no/forskning/forskningsgrupper/continuity-for-quality-of-care-and-health/the-detection-and-prevention-of-frailty-and-or-functional-decline-among-older-people-in-long-term-care-contexts 

This PhD project is part of a collaboration between Lovisenberg Diaconal University College in Norway and Karlstad University in Sweden as well as the research group Continuity and Quality of Care in Nursing (CARE) at Lovisenberg Diaconal University College. For more information see: https://ldh.no/forskning/forskningsgrupper/continuity-for-quality-of-care-and-health 

Presentations of the project:

Parts of the first paper in this project will be presented as an e-poster at the ICN Congress, June 9-13, 2025, Helsinki. https://icncongress.org/event/220 

As part of my PhD studies, I am a student member at the European Academy of Nursing Science (EANS), and I have been so fortunate to be able to participate in the EANS summer school. My third and final year will be 2025, where I will be presenting parts of my project as a poster during the annual summer conference in Mataro Spain. https://www.eansnursing.eu/page/summer-school-program 

Ongoing and upcoming data collection:

Data is currently being collected for paper II-III, the observations and interviews. Following this the development and testing of the theory-based educational intervention will commence. 

Publications:
Flyum I.R., Gjevjon E.R., Josse-Eklund A., Lærum-Onsager E & Borglin G. (2022) Nursing, frailty, functional decline and models of care in relation to older people receiving long-term care: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open, 12:e061303. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061303

Under peer-review:

Flyum I.R., Gjevjon E.R., Eklund A & Borglin G. (2025) What do we know about nursing in relation to functional ability limitations, frailty and models of care among older people in home- and facility-based care: A scoping review (tentative title). BMC Nursing 

Contact information:

Ida Røed Flyum, RN, MNSc, PhD-Student

Email: Ida.r.flyum@ldh.no or Ida.flyum@kau.se

Phone: +47 958 25 419

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6256-4245 

Research gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ida-Flyum