ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2016
A qualitative study of patient experiences of decentralized acute healthcare services.
Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Providing effective and efficient hospital admission avoidance inpatient care: a systematic realist review of Norwegian municipal inpatient acute care services.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Factors influencing the implementation of early discharge hospital at home and admission avoidance hospital at home: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Patient experiences and clinical outcomes of admissions to municipal acute wards versus a hospital: a multicentre randomised controlled trial in Norway.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Trial
- Experiences of patients with complex needs at municipal emergency outpost satellites.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Role of general practitioner-led rural community hospitals in Sweden: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Finding good alternatives to hospitalisation: a data register study in five municipal acute wards in Norway.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Inpatient Care Service Experience Among Adult Patients Admitted to Arba Minch General Hospital, Southern Ethiopia: Institution-Based Qualitative Study.Journal of patient experience · 2022Article
- What if something happens tonight? A qualitative study of primary care physicians' perspectives on an alternative to hospital admittance.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Associations between characteristics of the patients at municipal acute bed unit admission and further transfer to hospital: a prospective observational study.BMC health services research · 2020Observational
- Nursing competence in municipal in-patient acute care in Norway: a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2020Article
- Nurse competence in the interface between primary and tertiary healthcare services.Nursing open · 2019Article
- First four years of operation of a municipal acute bed unit in rural Norway.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2018Observational
- Evaluating patient experiences in decentralised acute care using the Picker Patient Experience Questionnaire; methodological and clinical findings.BMC health services research · 2017Article
- Patient trajectories in a Norwegian unit of municipal emergency beds.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2017Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMunicipality acute wards (MAWs) have recently been launched in Norway as an alternative to hospitalizations, and are aimed at providing treatment for patients who otherwise would have been hospitalized. The objective of this study was to explore how patients normally admitted to hospitals perceived the quality and safety of treatment in MAWs.
designThe study had a qualitative design. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
settingThe study was conducted in a county in south-eastern Norway and included five different MAWs. PATIENTS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 participants who had required acute health care and who had been discharged from the five MAWs.
resultsThree subthemes were identified that related to the overarching theme of hospital-like standards ("almost a hospital, but…"), namely (a) treatment and competence, (b) location and physical environment, and (c) adequate time for care. Participants reported the treatment to be comparable to hospital care, but they also experienced limitations. Participants spoke positively about MAW personnel and the advantages of having a single patient room, a calm environment, and proximity to home.
conclusionsParticipants felt safe when treated at MAWs, even though they realized that the diagnostic services were not similar to that in hospitals. Geographical proximity, treatment facilities and time for care positively distinguished MAWs from hospitals, while the lack of diagnostic resources was stressed as a limitation. Key points Municipality acute wards (MAWs) have been implemented across Norway. Research on patient perspectives on the decentralization of acute healthcare in MAWs is lacking. • Patients perceive decentralized acute healthcare and treatment as being comparable to the quality they would have expected in hospitals. • Geographical proximity, a home-like atmosphere and time for care were aspects stressed as positive features of the decentralized services. • Lack of diagnostic resources was seen as a limitation.
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