Family health evaluated by family members of older patients and nurses in emergency departments

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Jekaterina Demidenko ◽  
Pirkko Routasalo ◽  
Mika Helminen ◽  
Päivi Åstedt-Kurki ◽  
Eija Paavilainen ◽  
...  

Older patients quite often arrive in an emergency department (ED) with a family member, but little is known about the family member’s health evaluated in ED. The aim of this study was to describe family health in EDs evaluated by family members and nurses. Data were collected from Estonian hospital EDs from 111 family members of older patients and from 93 nurses. Family health in EDs was evaluated as being at a moderate level. Family members reported that family health was better when older patients lived with the family. The more time the family spent in the ED, the worse the health-related activities were. Nurses reported that cardiovascular problems in older patients who presented in EDs disturbed the values of family health. We conclude that ED nurses should recognize the level of family health, in order to ensure that the family will be able to cope at home. Family health in EDs should be reviewed over time to help nurses meet the required needs of the family.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hagen Wäsche ◽  
Christina Niermann ◽  
Jelena Bezold ◽  
Alexander Woll

Abstract Background The family is an important social environment for children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ health. However, studies mostly focused on dyadic and unidirectional influences of parents on their children. Studies addressing influences arising from daily family life and including family level influences are rare and the existing studies solely focus on the relevance for children’s health or health-related behaviors. We use a qualitative approach to explore how daily family life and its inherent health-related cues affect family members’ physical activity and eating behavior. Methods Semi-structured interviews utilizing an interview guide were conducted. Since we aimed to examine family life, we analyzed both parents’ and their children’s views on health-related interaction patterns and family environmental influences on individuals’ health-related behavior. Twenty-two members of seven families were interviewed. Transcripts of the interviews were systematically analyzed following Grounded Theory principles.Results The interviews revealed that various individual as well as environmental factors shape health-related aspects of daily family life. A model was developed that organizes these influencing factors on family life with regard to health-related interactions and the emergence of the Family Health Climate (FHC) – reflecting shared perceptions and cognitions regarding a healthy lifestyle within families – and its consequences. Family interactions and family time, often realized through shared family meals, are key factors for families’ health with regard to nutrition and physical activity. The FHC showed to affect various aspects related to health behavior of individual family members.Conclusions The model allows to gain knowledge on underlying processes and mechanisms of family life that influences individuals’ health-related behavior. Based on a better understanding of the association between family life and individual health behavior the development of family-based interventions can be informed. Furthermore, the insights can help to guide further research focusing on families as a system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hagen Wäsche ◽  
Christina Niermann ◽  
Jelena Bezold ◽  
Alexander Woll

Abstract Background The family is an important social environment for children’s, adolescents’ and adults’ health. However, studies mostly focused on dyadic and unidirectional influences of parents on their children. Studies addressing influences arising from daily family life and including family-level influences are rare and the existing studies solely focus on the relevance for children’s health or health-related behaviors. We use a qualitative approach to explore how daily family life and its inherent health-related cues affect family members’ physical activity and eating behavior. Methods Semi-structured interviews utilizing an interview guide were conducted. Since we aimed to examine family life, we analyzed both parents’ and their children’s views on health-related interaction patterns and family environmental influences on individuals’ health-related behavior. Twenty-two members of seven families were interviewed. Transcripts of the interviews were systematically analyzed following Grounded Theory principles. Results The interviews revealed that various individual as well as environmental factors shape health-related aspects of daily family life. A model was developed that organizes these influencing factors on family life with regard to health-related interactions and the emergence of the Family Health Climate (FHC) – reflecting shared perceptions and cognitions regarding a healthy lifestyle within families – and its consequences. Family interactions and family time, often realized through shared family meals, are key factors for families’ health with regard to nutrition and physical activity. The FHC showed to affect various aspects related to health behavior of individual family members. Conclusions The model sheds light on underlying processes and mechanisms of family life that influences individuals’ health-related behavior. Based on a better understanding of the association between family life and individual health behavior the development of family-based interventions can be informed. Furthermore, the insights can help to guide further research focusing on families as a system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205031211882341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åsa Dorell ◽  
Karin Sundin

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the topics relatives with a family member in a nursing home for older persons choose to talk about and focus on when participating in a nurse-led “Family Health Conversations” intervention. Family Health Conversations consisted of a series of three nurse-led conversations with each family, with a 2-week interval between meetings. Methods: The Family Health Conversations meetings were tape-recorded and analyzed using qualitative content methods. The participants were relatives of family members living in a nursing home for older persons in a municipality in Sweden. Results: The findings showed how the relatives talked about their suffering and difficulties concerning the new situation. The relatives talked about frustration and sadness together in a new way, with a focus on how to manage the future. They also wished that they had been offered an opportunity to talk about this with nurses earlier in the illness trajectory. Conclusion: The relatives had a significant need to talk about their experiences together within the family and together with the nurses. Nurses have an especially important task in supporting relatives having a family member living in a nursing home.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jekaterina Demidenko ◽  
Pirkko Routasalo ◽  
Mika Helminen ◽  
Päivi Åstedt-Kurki ◽  
Eija Paavilainen ◽  
...  

Poor social support provided within health care settings may reduce patients’ ability to manage disease. The presence of family members in emergency department (ED) may reduce the patient’s need for health care and social services utilization. The aim of the study was to describe the social support received by family in the ED. A cross-sectional empirical study design was used. Convenience sample of 111 family members of home discharged older patients and of 93 nurses were recruited. The study was conducted at four Estonian hospitals. Data were collected by using social support scale of the Family Functioning, Health and Social Support (FAFHES). Family members and nurses both considered the social support available in EDs to be moderate. Nurses believed they provided higher levels of social support than the family members stated the family received. The differences were statistically significant. The older a nurse was, the less reinforcement, feedback, and affecting others for finding solutions was offered. A greater number of nurses working in the ED resulted in less social support. This study found differences of views between family members of older patients and nurses regarding the level of social support of the family. Nursing care provided in ED should be developed to be more supportive. To ensure more family-centred approach when providing nursing care, the administrative staff needs to consider whether an adequate number of nurses are working in the ED. The social support scale used was found to be applicable in ED environments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-336
Author(s):  
Annette Holst-Hansson ◽  
Vedrana Vejzovic ◽  
Ewa Idvall ◽  
Anne Wennick

Currently, there are few studies which examine targeted family-focused support when a family member is diagnosed with breast cancer. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore families’ experiences of participating in a family nursing intervention identified as Brief Family Health Conversations (BFamHC) following the diagnosis of breast cancer. Semi-structured family interviews were conducted with nine families (including 29 family members) 2 weeks following the family-focused intervention of three sessions of BFamHC. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Families reported the BFamHC as positive and as a unique kind of family health conversation, one that afforded them the opportunity to communicate and share their experiences as a family group. A family conversation, even one as time-limited as BFamHC, offered a sense of relational sharing and togetherness, thus preventing feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Therapeutic family-focused conversations, such as BFamHC, hold promise as a useful family nursing intervention following the diagnosis of breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne A. Elsner ◽  
Sam S. Salek ◽  
Andrew Y. Finlay ◽  
Anna Hagemeier ◽  
Catherine J. Bottomley ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Family Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16) assesses the impact of a patient’s chronic illness on the quality of life (QoL) of the patient’s partner or family members. The aim of the study was to translate, explore the structure of and validate the FROM-16. Methods The questionnaire was translated from English into German (forward, backward, four independent translators). Six interviews with family members were conducted to confirm the questionnaire for linguistic, conceptual, semantic and experiential equivalence and its practicability. The final German translation was tested for internal consistency, reproducibility and test validity. Criterion validity was tested by correlating the scores of the FROM-16 and the Global Health Scale (GHS). Principal component analysis, factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the questionnaire’s structure and its domains. Reliability and reproducibility were tested computing the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using one sample t-test for testing the hypothesis that the difference between the scores was not different from zero. Results Overall, 83 family members (61% female, median age: 61 years) completed the questionnaire at two different times (mean interval: 22 days). Internal consistency was good for the FROM-16 scores (Cronbach’s α for total score = 0.86). In those with stable GHS, the ICC for the total score was 0.87 and the difference was not different from zero (p = 0.262) indicating reproducible results. A bi-factor model with a general factor including all items, and two sub-factors comprising the items from the original 2-factor construct had the best fit. Conclusions The German FROM-16 has good reliability, test validity and practicability. It can be considered as an appropriate and generic tool to measure QoL of a patient’s partner or family member. Due to the presence of several cross-loadings we do not recommend the reporting of the scores of the two domains proposed for the original version of FROM-16 when using the German version. Thus, in reporting the results emphasis should be put on the total score. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered: DRKS00021070.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Tanel Feldman ◽  
Marco Mazzeschi

Rights of residence derived from a durable relationship with an EU citizen, are left to a relatively wide discretion of the Member States. Pursuant to Article 2.2 (b) Directive 2004/38/EC (“Directive”), “the partner with whom the Union citizen has contracted a registered partnership, on the basis of the legislation of a Member State, if the legislation of the host Member State treats registered partnerships as equivalent to marriage and in accordance with the conditions laid down in the relevant legislation of the host Member State” qualifies as family member. Provided that they have a durable relationship (duly attested) with an EU citizen, pursuant to Article 3.2(b), unregistered partners are as well beneficiaries of the Directive. The durable relationship was expressly excluded from the scope of Article 2(2)(b): “Unlike the amended proposal, it does not cover de facto durable relationships” (EU Commission, Document 52003SC1293). Article 3 (2)(a) covers “other family members” (no restrictions as to the degree of relatedness) if material support is provided by the EU citizen or by his partner or where serious health grounds strictly require the personal care of the family member by the Union citizen. Pursuant to Article 3.2, “other family members” and unregistered partners can attest a durable relationship, must be facilitated entry and residence, in accordance to the host Member State’s national legislation. In the light of Preamble 6 Directive, the situation of the persons who are not included in the definition of family members, must be considered “in order to maintain the unity of the family in a broader sense”. The questions discussed in this paper are the following: (i) are Member States genuinely considering the concept of durable relationship in view of maintaining the unity of the family in a broader sense? and (ii) how to overcome legal uncertainty and which criteria, both at EU and at international level, can be taken into account in order to assess whether a durable relationship is genuine and should be granted the rights set forth by the Directive?


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhail Ahmad Bhat ◽  
Dr. Shawkat Ahmad Shah

While trying to portray the picture of mayhem and woes of family members of those who disappeared, it fails to fully convey the agony of the survivors. Their emotions are so intense that a normal person can hardly help his emotional shutters. Even a single experience with a family member of a disappeared person makes one to ponder that how unbearable it is to be a mother, father, wife or son of disappeared person. Their search for the disappeared family member along with hardships of daily life, social stigmas, economic and educational needs have left their mental health par below average level. One finds the words of depression, stress, anxiety, sleeplessness and melancholy in their everyday lexicon. With such a despondent picture of family members of disappeared persons in mind, the present attempt was made to study the nature of their mental health. To achieve this objective, data was collected from 217 family members of disappeared persons of Kashmir. The frequency method and t-test were used to obtain the results. The results of the study showed that majority of the family members scored high in negative dimensions of mental health namely, anxiety, depression and loss of behavioral and emotional control and low in positive dimensions of mental health namely, general positive affect, emotional ties and life satisfaction. A significant difference was found in mental health on the basis of gender, age and family type.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 152-160
Author(s):  
Sonai Chaudhuri ◽  
G Malla ◽  
S Uprety ◽  
S Giri ◽  
AK Yadav ◽  
...  

Background: The emergency department of B.P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, a  700 bedded tertiary care centre provides all medical and surgical services, with easy access to patients by their family members during most of the resuscitation procedures. Complete privacy hence is not ideally maintained. Coping with emotional stress among the family members can be a gruesome experience and reactions from them can be unpredictable. Hence, health professionals are usually exposed to various emotions of the family members of these sick patients.Methods: It is a descriptive cross sectional study among the health professionals working in the emergency department. A sample size of 80 is taken over a period of 3 months. A semi-structured questionnaire leaflet was distributed and collected by the researcher. The attitude and belief was evaluated by 12 questions on the 5 point Liker scale and cutoff value being 3. Points less than 36 were given as negative attitude towards the family presence and more being positive.Results: Out of 80samples, 75 completed with a response rate of about 94%. The majority belonged to age group 20-29 years (70.7%) age, among profession Nurses respondents were about 56%. Male and Female respondent were about equal in numbers, qualification with undergraduate level was higher (73.3%), with an experience of less than 1year being 40%. Amongst the responders there is a positive attitude with increasing age, experience and qualification.Conclusion: The health professionals had a negative attitude towards the presence of family members during the resuscitation or invasive procedures. Hence with the ethnicity and cultural aspect of family their presence is well accepted. Health Renaissance 2015;13 (3): 152-160


Author(s):  
Darby Morhardt ◽  
Marcia Spira

When a member of a family is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, the impact of the disease reverberates throughout the relationships within the family. This paper explores the challenges and strengths within one family as members manage and cope with Alzheimer's disease. The person with dementia and his family members are individually interviewed and each person explores the consequences of the disease on personal well-being as well as the relationships within the family. The family demonstrates how dementia in one family member demands flexibility in family roles as they navigate life through the challenges of living with dementia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document