Learning to practise the Guided Self‐Determination approach in type 2 diabetes in primary care: A qualitative pilot study

AIM: To describe how diabetes nurses in primary care experience the process of learning to practise the person‐centred counselling approach Guided Self‐Determination among adults with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative design. METHOD: Data were collected in 2014–2015 by means of individual interviews with four diabetes nurses at two points in time. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three themes that reflect nurses’ processes in learning to use the Guided Self‐Determination approach were identified: (1) from an unfamiliar interaction to “cracking the code”; (2) from an unspecific approach to a structured, reflective, but demanding approach; and (3) from a nurse‐centred to a patient‐centred approach. The overall findings indicate that the process of learning to practise Guided Self‐Determination increased the nurses’ counselling competence. Moreover, the nurses perceived the approach to be generally helpful, as it stimulated reflections about diabetes management and about their own counselling practices.