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Chapter 2: Literature Review
known that autonomy is an integral ingredient in person centred care and
hence quality of life.
It is known that further research needs to be done that will operationalise the
concept of autonomy for older people in residential care.
It is suggested that there are numerous factors that impact upon older
people’s autonomy in residential care which include the organisations
approach to care, the nurses role, the family’s role and staff attitudes.
What is not known about resident autonomy:
It is not known how the concept of autonomy can be operationalised in
practice.
The definition of autonomy for older people in residential care remains
unclear.
It is not known what residents’ experiences of autonomy are.
It is not know which factors are most important in residents experiencing
autonomy or indeed what facilitates or hinders these factors.
The most profound finding from the literature review was the lack of consensus in
about the meaning of resident autonomy. Therefore a concept analysis of autonomy
for older people in residential care was subsequently undertaken. The same literature
from the literature review was used for the concept analysis. A systematic approach
for identifying the key features from each study was used. This involved establishing
what was similar and what was different in each paper. An iterative analysis process
was used to compare and contrast key findings and draw out their common core
elements. Using Rogers’ (1989) framework, the attributes, antecedents and
consequences of resident autonomy were subsequently delineated. This also
facilitated the compilation of a succinct definition and model case for autonomy
(Appendices 2 and 3).