In the hands of nurses: A focus group study of how nurses perceive and promote inpatients' needs for physical activity

AIMS: To describe how nurses perceive and promote inpatients' needs for physical activity during their stay at the ward. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was employed providing an exploration of how nurses perceive and promote inpatients' need for physical activity. METHODS: Seven semi‐structured focus group discussions were held between November 2016 and February 2017 with 29 nurses in three hospitals in Sweden. Both interaction analysis and content analysis of the data were conducted. RESULTS: Patients are dependent on nurses' prioritizations and promotions to be sufficiently physically active during their stay at the ward. The external environment and the integration of physical activity affected the promotion of physical activity. The nurses perceived that understanding the patient's expectations was important and that promotion of physical activity was a joint responsibility of patient, relatives and healthcare professionals. The interaction analysis revealed no clear hierarchical pattern as all members in each focus group took initiative to open the discussions. The Registered Nurses contributed with more new ideas.