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Chapter 6 Phase Two
revealed that the communication methods and processes did not always facilitate
opportunities to gather appropriate information about the resident. The sub-theme
“Being Impersonal” related to the challenges which staff felt they had with trying
to provide choice and individualised care planning against limited resources and
ritualistic practices and routines. Finally the sub-theme “The Personality”
revealed that staff had knowledge deficits in relation to care planning. Thus the
staff participants considered that the first step needed to increase resident
autonomy was to enhance the approach to care planning. It was agreed that a
resident focused care plan aimed at realising the attributes of autonomy would be
introduced. It was also agreed that the staff participants from phase one of the
research would now become the co-researchers for phase two.
6.3 Step 2: Action planning: Considering alternative courses of
action for solving a problem
Step 2 of the AR therefore focused on identifying how resident care planning
could be changed in order to enhance resident autonomy. I worked with the staff
to help them to identify what should be done and what the best way of doing this
was. I met with the clinical nurse manager in order to discuss this proposed phase
of the research and to propose ways of working within the unit in order to
support the change. The manager who was now also a co-researcher gave full
support for this phase of the research and this was an essential first step for this
phase of the research.
Staff participants in phase one of the research identified knowledge deficits in
relation to care planning and resident participants confirmed that they felt that
staff didn’t really try to get to know them. Therefore I suggested providing on-
site care planning education sessions as an initial step (Appendix 21) for all of
the staff to attend and the staff welcomed this. The rationale for this was based
on the theory of “emancipation through education” whereby the co-researchers
would gain newly acquired knowledge which would help them to commence a
change in their practice. The education sessions were repeated four times over
one month in order to facilitate the duty roster and in order to ensure that all co-
researchers had the opportunity to attend. Following the education sessions my