Background: This study aimed to examine district nurse (DN) experiences caring for people with multiple chronic conditions in an aging population. Over the next 10-year period in Sweden, the number of people aged 80 and older is will increase by about 50 percent. The care needs of the population are changing as more people live at home longer with chronic care needs. Since 2022, primary care has been acknowledged politically as the hub of health and medical care, interacting with other health and medical care and social services. DNs in primary care often have the first contact with patients of all ages and are especially involved in care of older individuals with multiple chronic conditions, common mental health problems, and complex care needs. 

Objectives: To examine DNs' experiences of caring for patients with multimorbidity and mental illness 

Methods: This was a qualitative study of six focus group interviews made with fifteen DNs working at five primary care centers in the Stockholm Region, Sweden. Data was analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. Analysis is in progress and results will presented at the conference.

Results: Preliminary analysis has resulted in four subthemes: 1) DNs take responsibility for identifying and adapting to complexity; 2) Lack of effective cooperation leads to increased DN responsibility; 3) DNs see patient complexity as coherent and whole; 3) Too little space for DNs to use knowledge and competencies.

Conclusions: Further analysis is expected to produce findings that can be useful for development of primary care and in particular the role of the DN in caring for older individuals with multiple chronic conditions. 

Significance: To meet the care needs of this growing population, it is critical to understand how DNs currently see their work with these patients and how they consider care can be optimized.