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Mike Porter

Publications and source records attributed to Mike Porter.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The experience of caring for someone over 75 years of age: results from a Scottish General Practice population.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To understand the unpaid carers' experiences of looking after someone aged over 75 at all stages of their caring career. BACKGROUND: The role of, and support for, unpaid carers have become central in the debates surrounding community care in the UK. This paper presents the findings of a study to elicit the complexities of the caring role and inform the Primary Health Care Team to help support carers more effectively. DESIGNS AND METHODS: A quantitative research design was employed. Carers of people over 75 years of age in a General Practice, who had been previously identified from a screening questionnaire, were sent the Carers Assessment of Difficulties Index, the Carers Assessment of Satisfactions Index and Carers Assessment of Managing Index questionnaires which examine the experience of caring. RESULTS: From a sample of 247 carers, a 70% response rate (n = 172) was achieved. Satisfactions lay in the quality of care provided; difficulties reflected the potential and actual family tensions generated; coping strategies included reframing difficulties, using humour and practical problem solving. The data show that caregivers' reactions, such as feeling angry about the situation, or the consequences of their involvement, such as tensions within the family, cause them more difficulties than the actual care-giving tasks they perform. CONCLUSION: This study adds to the understanding of carers' roles by including carers across a range of situations, including those at an early stage of their caring career. Service providers are better able to support carers if they understand the complex interplay of difficulties, rewards and personal coping strategies associated with the caring role. RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE: The study helps illuminate the less obvious, but important, emotional aspects of carers' difficulties and suggests strategies which service providers may find helpful in assessing carers' needs and determining the appropriate interventions.

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PubMed2002

Morale among general practitioners: qualitative study exploring relations between partnership arrangements, personal style, and workload.

OBJECTIVES: To explore general practitioners' experiences of wellbeing and distress at work, to identify their perceptions of the causes of and solutions to distress, and to draw out implications for improving morale in general practice. DESIGN: Three stage qualitative study consisting of one to one unstructured interviews, one to one guided interviews, and focus groups. SETTING: Fife, Lothian, and the Borders, South East Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 63 general practitioner principals. RESULTS: Morale of general practitioners was explained by the complex interrelations between factors. Three key factors were identified: workload, personal style, and practice arrangements. Workload was commonly identified as a cause of low morale, but partnership arrangements were also a key mediating variable between increasing workload and external changes in general practice on the one hand and individual responses to these changes on the other. Integrated interventions at personal, partnership, and practice levels were seen to make considerable contributions to improving morale. Effective partnerships helped individuals to manage workload, but increasing workload was also seen to take away time and opportunities for practices to manage change and to build supportive and effective working environments. CONCLUSIONS: Solutions to the problem of low morale need integrated initiatives at individual, partnership, practice, and policy levels. Improving partnership arrangements is a key intervention, and rigorous action research is needed to evaluate different approaches.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗