Study protocol

Empowerment interventions, knowledge translation and exchange: perspectives of home care professionals, clients and caregivers

Denise St-Cyr Tribble¹ , Frances Gallagher¹ , Linda Bell¹ , Chantal Caron¹ , Pierre Godbout² , Jeannette Leblanc³ , Pascale Morin⁴ , Marianne Xhignesse⁵ , Louis Voyer⁴ and Mélanie Couture⁴

¹École des sciences infirmières, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé Université de Sherbrooke, 3001, 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, Québec, J1G 4M9, Canada

²École de science infirmière, Université de Moncton, Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick, E1A 3E9, Canada

³Département de psychologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boul. Université, Sherbrooke, Québec, J1K 2R1, Canada

⁴Centre de santé et de services sociaux-Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Sherbrooke, 500, rue Murray, Sherbrooke, Québec, J1G 2K6, Canada

⁵Département de médecine de famille, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé Université de Sherbrooke, 3001, 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, Québec, J1G 4M9, Canada

author email corresponding author email

BMC Health Services Research 2008, 8:177doi:10.1186/1472-6963-8-177

Published:	20 August 2008

Abstract

Background

Few studies have examined empowerment interventions as they actually unfold in home care in the context of chronic health problems. This study aims to document the empowerment process as it plays out in interventions with adults receiving home care services.

Methods/design

The qualitative design chosen is a fourth generation evaluation combined with case studies. A home care team of a health and social services center situated in the Eastern Townships (Québec, Canada) will be involved at every step in the study. A sample will be formed of 15 health care professionals and 30 of their home care clients and caregiver. Semi-structured interviews, observations of home care interventions and socio-demographic questionnaires will be used to collect the data. Nine instruments used by the team in prior studies will be adapted and reviewed. A personal log will document the observers' perspectives in order to foster objectivity and the focus on the intervention. The in-depth qualitative analysis of the data will illustrate profiles of enabling interventions and individual empowerment.

Discussion

The ongoing process to transform the health care and social services network creates a growing need to examine intervention practices of health care professionals working with clients receiving home care services. This study will provide the opportunity to examine how the intervention process plays out in real-life situations and how health care professionals, clients and caregivers experience it. The intervention process and individual empowerment examined in this study will enhance the growing body of knowledge about empowerment.