Table 2.

Characteristics of included articles with results according to the aim of current study

Authors Year Country	Design	Aim	Settings Sample	Data collection	Analysis	Results
Arnaert, A Wainwright, M (2009) Canada	Qualitative Explorative	Explore experiences, perspectives and reflection of five nurse specialists in palliative home care	Palliative home care Nurse specialists n = 5	Individual interviews	Content analysis	Three major themes with subthemes 1 Acknowledging one’s own limitations and humanness Calling for backup, learning as we go along, coping with the emotional demands and interacting with family members 2 Building a collaborative partnership Working collaboratively, sharing information, guiding home care nurses, being non-judgmental 3 teamwork and implementing palliative home care teams
Mc Garry, J (2009) UK	Qualitative Ethnographic	Explore the nature of the care relationship within the home setting between community nurses and elderly people	Home care District nurses n = 5 Registered nurses n = 9 Auxiliary nurses n = 2 Older adults n = 13	Observations Individual interviews	Content analysis	Three key themes 1 The location of care 2 The nature of relationship 3 The meaning of ill health and illness
Davies, S Jenkins, E Mabett, G (2010) UK	Qualitative Interpretive	Identify and explore district nurse’s views and perceptions of emotional intelligence	Home care District nurses n = 5	Individual interviews	Interpretive phenomeno-logical analysis	Six themes 1 Self-awareness 2 Control over emotions 3 Assessment 4 Experience 5 Palliative care 6 Leadership
Annersten, M Pilhammar, K Alm Roijer, C (2012) Sweden	Qualitative Explorative	Explore registered nurse’s professional work with foot ulcer prevention in home care settings	Home care Registered nurses n = 15	Individual interviews	Manifest content analysis	Four themes with subcategories 1 Leadership: Formal, informal, executive tools 2 Nursing practice: Assessment of patients’ needs, planning, nursing action, evaluation 3 Education: Patient, next of kin, health care assistants, content, educational method 4 Research and development
Berland, A Holm, A Gundersen, D Berntsen, SB (2012) Norway	Qualitative Explorative	Explore home care registered nurses’ experiences of patient safety in the delivery of home care to elderly patients	Home care Registered nurses n = 20	Focus groups interviews	Thematic analysis	One main theme Struggling with responsibility in different situations: Five subthemes 1 Poor work moral and work ethic. 2 Documentation. 3 Lack of functional leadership. 4 Competence. 5 Lack of updated routines and guidelines
Furuåker, C (2012) Sweden	Qualitative Descriptive	Describe the everyday work of registered nurses and their views on what skills they use, require, and wish to develop when looking after patients in home health care	Home care Registered nurses n = 20	Individual interviews	Manifest content analysis	Four themes 1 Nursing content in home care 2 The home as a workplace 3 Leadership in home care 4 Competence in home care Five subthemes 1 Common content. 2 Problematic nursing situations. 3 Required competence. 4 Competence to improve. 5 Learning strategies
Flöjt, J Le Hir, U Rosengren, K (2014) Sweden	Qualitative Descriptive	Describe nurses’ experiences of competence in home health care	Home health care District nurses n = 6	Individual interviews	Manifest content analysis	One category Being prepared Three subcategories 1 Importance of leadership strategies. 2 Training promotes patient safety and independence. 3 Co-operation for professional development
Howell, D Hardy, B Boyd, C et al. (2014) UK	Qualitative Descriptive	Describe community palliative care nurse specialist activities during interaction with patients	Community palliative care Nurse specialist n = 4, Older patients n = 34	Audio-recorded observations	Thematic analysis	Summary of interactions 1 Assessment: History taking, skilled questioning, observation, use of analogue scales, examination 2 Planning: Liaising with others, referral to others, just in case medication, advance care planning 3 Intervention: Clinical, emotional, preparation for death, provision of information, financial, advocacy 4 Evaluation: Follow-up visit or phone call, feedback from others in support team, multidisciplinary team meetings 5 Crosscutting themes: Communication, leadership and coordination, real-time decision making, ability to respond to complex or varied situations
Nilsen, E Olafsen, A Steinsvåg, AG et al. (2016) Norway	Qualitative Descriptive	Present nursing leaders’ role in municipal home care services	Municipal home care services Registered nurses n = 9	Individual interviews	Deductive thematic analysis	Map of interactions and relations between nursing leader and superiors, subordinates and peers 1 Leadership, managing performance in a squeeze. 2 Relation with the superior, management by email. 3 Relation with subordinates, availability and respect. 4 Relation with peers, professional and personal