Background Communication is a cornerstone in nursing. Research on nurse–patient communication faces well-known challenges, as encounters are dynamic, context-dependent, and shaped by subtle verbal and non-verbal cues. Capturing this complexity requires rigorous observational approaches, of which audio and video recordings are key methods, enabling documentation of communication as it unfolds in practice. However, collecting such data in clinical settings involves significant methodological and ethical considerations. Objective The aim of this paper is to provide guidance for methodological rigor in data collection using audio or video recordings when observing clinical communication in patient encounters. Information sources This discussion paper draws on theory and previous empirical research on communication in clinical patient encounters using data collected with audio and video recordings. Results The practical guidance is structured into five key areas spanning the data collection process: (1) planning and preparation, (2) audio versus video recordings, (3) ethical and legal concerns, (4) information and recruitment, and (5) procedures for collecting recordings. Each area includes methodological considerations related to the design and conduct of data collection, as well as recommendations for transparent reporting to support rigor. Conclusions This guidance supports researchers in addressing key methodological challenges in data collection using audio and video recordings in studies of clinical communication. It highlights considerations relevant to the design and conduct of the research process, including issues of ecological validity and generalizability, and emphasizes the importance of transparent reporting of methodological decisions. In light of previous inconsistencies in reporting, such guidance is essential to strengthen methodological rigor. By adopting more robust methodological strategies, ethical and scientific standards in study design and data collection can be strengthened.

This study aims to advance understanding of the relationship between policies and practices in public funding of co-research, in view of the ongoing academic reorientation towards a wider and deeper societal engagement – seen as an expression of public sector innovation. Based on a review of three calls by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte), similarities and differences regarding concepts, motives, stakeholders and methods for co-research are distinguished in call texts and applications. The results reveal an ambiguous relationship between co-research policies and practices, with a high compliance among applicants with the calls’ request for co-research but with little guidance on how to esteem, prioritize, design and conduct co-research. This complicates the balancing act between the co-existing rationales of academic freedom and public interest in public research funding as part of the two-directional relationship between innovative institutions, processes and solutions in public sector innovation.

Objective

To explore patients’ expressions of emotional distress and subsequent Registered Nurses’ (RNs’) responses in primary care consultations.

Methods

This observational study included a consecutive sample of 147 audio recorded RN-led consultations with adult patients seeking primary care for a new health problem. Expressions of emotional distress were analysed using the Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences.

Results

Patients expressed emotional distress in one-third of the recorded consultations. A total of 165 expressions of emotional distress were identified, comprising 140 cues and 25 concerns. The RNs’ responses primarily provided space for further disclosure of the emotional expressions (125, 75.8%). No statistically significant differences in RNs’ response types, such as providing or reducing space, were found based on patients’ sex, age, or native language.

Conclusion

RNs demonstrated proficiency in recognising patients’ expressions of emotional distress and in facilitating further disclosure in an inclusive manner that aligns with principles of person-centred care.

Practice implications

Encouraging recognition of emotional distress through active listening and an engaged communication approach may enhance RN communication and optimise conditions for person-centred care.

Background

The aging population is increasing due to advancements in medical research and public health, leading to a growing demand for healthcare services and special housing facilities (SHF). Welfare technology (WT) has been introduced to support older adults by enhancing safety, independence, and care efficiency. Despite its potential, WT adoption remains limited, and research on older adults' experiences, particularly in SHFs, is scarce. This study explores the experiences of older adults using a digital alarm system with a safety sensor and camera function (DASSCF) in SHFs.

Methods

An inductive qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with older adults (3 men, 14 women, aged 67–98) in SHF equipped with DASSCF in a municipality in western Sweden. Data were collected between April and September 2024 and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Experiences of DASSCF resulted in balancing vulnerability, tolerance, and having peace of mind in daily life categorized into: emotional aspects, where DASSCF contributed to security in everyday life but also raised concerns about privacy; integrity aspects, highlighting the process of learning to live with surveillance and the tension between safety and autonomy; and technological aspects, which focused on usability challenges and the desire to have control over the system.

Conclusions

When integrating DASSCF into SHF, WT should be as supportive as possible without being too intrusive, allowing older adults to feel strengthened while ensuring their safety and independence.

This study explores emotional communication in registered nurse (RN)-led consultations in Swedishprimary care, as part of the PINPOINT project. In this setting, RNs often serve as the first point ofcontact, in parallel to general practitioners (GPs), for patients seeking help with new healthproblems, playing a key role in initial assessment, decision-making, and patient guidance.Previous findings from the PINPOINT project indicate that patients generally hold high expectationsfor communication and report positive experiences with RNs who mostly meet their expectations(Östensson et al., 2025). Preliminary results also suggest that RNs tend to follow a naturalconsultation structure when exploring patients’ health problems. However, essential componentssuch as eliciting medical concerns, exploring social history, and confirming patient understandingare sometimes omitted (manuscript).The current study investigates whether and how patients’ emotional concerns, expressed throughnegative emotional cues or explicit concerns, are addressed during RN-led consultations in primarycare.Data were collected from 148 routine RN-led consultations across 10 primary care centers, involving30 RNs and 148 patients. Emotional communication was analyzed using the Verona CodingDefinitions of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES).

Research questions:

• What emotional cues and concerns do patients express during consultations, and what aspects ofcare do these relate to (e.g., current health problems, treatment, self-care, referrals)?

• How do RNs respond to or address these cues and concerns?

• Do RNs tailor their responses to patients’ emotional cues and concerns or follow a standardizedresponse pattern?

We aim to discuss both our research questions and the planned analysis for the study

Background

Internationally, interest in the expanding role of registered nurse–led consultations in primary care is increasing. This role requires effective communication to support triage and clinical decision-making. While physician‒patient communication has been extensively studied, research on registered nurse‒patient communication remains limited, particularly in primary care. Therefore, the aim of this scoping review was to map and describe how registered nurse–patient communication and decision-making in primary care consultations are characterised in the existing literature, based on observations of clinical practice.

Methods

This scoping review included a systematic literature search conducted in March 2025 in the PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus databases. A total of 12,066 records were identified and screened. The review followed the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley and adhered to the PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines.

Results

A total of 16 studies were included. Registered nurse‒patient communication was observed using audio- and video-recorded observations and participant observations during telephone consultations (n = 5), chronic disease management consultations (n = 3), mental health consultations (n = 1) and walk-in clinic consultations (n = 7). Findings on communication and decision-making were organised into four themes related to the key characteristics of exploring patients’ concerns, observing and assessing patients’ health status, tailoring communication, and facilitating decision-making with patients.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that registered nurses use various communication skills during different phases of consultations. However, comprehensive studies on registered nurse–patient communication and decision-making in primary care are lacking. This highlights the need for future in-depth and comprehensive studies on registered nurse–patient communication in primary care to inform both clinical practices and nursing education.

Purpose

This study aims to identify and summarize existing qualitative empirical research on children’s experiences of living with their mental ill-health.

Methods

A scoping review with a systematic search of the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychINFO was conducted. The search generated 9,864 studies, which were screened by title, abstract, and full text.

Results

Forty articles were included comprising 826 children aged 8–19 years. The key findings were described in four themes: Identifying oneself with mental ill-health, Managing suffering and daily challenges, Seeking supportive and caring relationships and Navigating a complex school environment. Being identified with mental ill-health brought challenges for children’s everyday struggles. Their own coping strategies as well as supportive relationships with friends and adults were important. However, the balance between support and stress was complex.

Conclusions

Children have a desire to manage and comprehend their complex everyday lives of living with mental ill-health and wish for supported yet independent decision-making. Attitudes of friends, adults and professionals are important in providing understanding and non-judgemental support, valuable for children’s well-being. Open conversations about mental health and providing accessible, child-centred interventions based on the needs expressed by children are necessary. This study contributes to the literature by emphasizing the central role of children’s voices in matters of mental ill-health.

Background: In Sweden, registered nurses have a key role in initial patient assessments and prioritization in primary care. This assessment is a complex and demanding process. To meet patient and public needs, insight is needed into nurses’ communication and decision-making during these consultations. Therefore, the aim of this PhD project is to explore clinical reasoning and decision-making in patient-nurse consultations in primary care.

Methods: A prospective multicentre study was designed and data were gathered with a purposive sample of audio recorded observations of real-life communication during 150 patient‒nurse consultations, patient reported health status and stimulated recall interviews with nurses.

Findings: This PhD project will investigate communication and decision-making in 150 nurse-patient consultations with a focus on:

1.Patients’ reason-for-encounter and health problems as assessed by patients’ self-reported health concerns and functional health status (COOP-WONCA).

2.Communication of health concerns and needs as observed with the VR-CoDES (Verona Coding Definitions of Emotional Sequences) using the audio recorded consultations

3.Nurses’ clinical reasoning and decision-making using data gathered with stimulated recall interviews and analysed with a qualitative method for thematic analysis.

This project is presented as an example on how to design and gather data in communication research to investigate nurses’ communication and their exploration of health concerns during nurse-patient consultations in primary care.

Discussion: Results from this research are aimed to support nurses in their assessments, communication and clinical decision-making in primary care. In the long term, this research can contribute to increased knowledge on how the competence of registered nurses can be used and enhanced to make the best use of the primary care resources.

Background: Good access to primary care is central to health and treatment of illnesses in old age. The older population, adults aged 65 years or older, is a diverse group of individuals who exhibit significant variations in their health conditions and longevity. Hence, it is essential to tailor primary care practice to their individual needs. For most elderly in Sweden, registered nurses in primary care are their first point of contact with healthcare services. Therefore, we will explore elderly patients’ expectations and experiences in primary care consultations with nurses.

Methods: An observational study with older adults in primary care will be performed by recording and analysing real-life nurse-patient consultations.

Findings:  From 150 audio-recorded nurse-patient consultations, collected in 2023/2024, the consultations with older patients will be further investigated in this PhD project with a focus on:

1.

What communication aspects do older patients report as important based on their expectations and experiences of primary care nurse consultations assessed with the QUOTE-COMM (Quality Of communication Through the patients' Eyes) questionnaire.

2.

Older adults’ involvement in primary care consultations with nurses by coding the audio recordings with the OPTION 5.

3.

Health information and advice to older adults in primary care nurse visits by analysing the audio qualitatively.

The methods used for this communication research on older adults-nurse consultations will be further discussed.

Discussion: The number of studies on real-life nurse-patient consultations in primary care, specifically with older adults, is limited. This points to a scarcity of insights in the field of communication in older nurse-patient consultations in primary care. There is a need for research to gain a deeper understanding of nurses’ communication strategies and the way they involve older patients in their care. Such insight is needed to continue to provide person-centered care for the steadily increasing numbers of older patients who seek primary care.