Loneliness in nursing homes: A qualitative meta‐synthesis of older people's experiences

Abstract Background Older people in the nursing home environment are much less mobile and capable of taking care of themselves as they age, and most of them face the plight of loneliness, which seriously affects the quality of life of older people in their later years. Aims A systematic review and synthesis of older people's experiences of loneliness in nursing homes. Design Following ENTREQ, do a systematic evaluation and synthesis of qualitative investigations. Methods A search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, the Chinese biomedical literature service system, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang Database and the Wipu Database for qualitative studies of older people's experiences of loneliness in nursing homes was conducted with a search time frame of March 2023. Evaluation of the quality of the literature using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Australian Centre for Evidence‐Based Health Care Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research, And the data were synthesised using Thomas and Harden's method of thematic and content analysis. Results A total of 13 papers were included, and 36 research findings were distilled and integrated into three themes: causes of loneliness; feelings of loneliness; coping with loneliness; and seven sub‐themes: aging and loss; environmental transformation; loneliness is a pain; loneliness is a choice; participation; strengthening social ties; and diverting attention. Conclusions Older people in nursing homes face varying degrees of loneliness, which is a subjective feeling influenced by the interplay between personal awareness and the external environment, so future care interventions should be developed in a comprehensive manner, taking into account the characteristics of the older people themselves and their external environment. No Patient or Public Contribution This study is a meta‐synthesis and does not require relevant contributions from patients or the public.