Becoming more of an insider: A grounded theory study on patients’ experience of a person-centred e-health intervention

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to explore the experiences of a person-centred e-health intervention, in patients diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic heart failure (CHF). DESIGN: Grounded theory was applied to gather and analyse data. SETTING: The study is part of a research project evaluating the effects of person-centred care (PCC) using a digital platform and structured telephone support for people with COPD or CHF recruited from nine primary care units in Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve patients from the intervention group were purposefully selected in accordance with the initial sampling criteria. INTERVENTION: The intervention was delivered through a digital platform and telephone support system for 6 months. The intervention relied on person-centred ethics operationalised through three core PCC components: patient narratives, partnership and shared documentation. RESULTS: A core category was formulated: Being welcomed through the side door when lacking the front door keys. The core category reflects how a PCC intervention delivered remotely provides access to mutual and informal meetings at times when professional contacts were desired to support patient self-management goals. According to patients’ wishes, family and friends were seldom invited as care partners in the e-health context. CONCLUSIONS: A PCC intervention delivered remotely as a complement to standard care in a primary care setting for patients diagnosed with COPD or CHF is a viable approach to increase patients’ access and involvement in preventive care. The e-health intervention seemed to facilitate PCC, strengthen patients’ position in the health service system and support their self-management.