Families' and nurses' suggestions for development of support were related to the time resources of the staff, to the flow of information, to more client-centred attitudes, to being appreciated and listened to and to home care guidance. However, the pervasiveness of this problem in the international literature suggests that deeper consideration of possible underlying reasons for this phenomenon is called for.

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine patients' perceptions of the emotional support and information provided to their family members by nurses in a day surgery setting. The project was conducted in a day surgery unit of a hospital in western Finland. Data were collected from 60 participants using a questionnaire designed specifically for the project. The results showed that half of the patients appreciated the presence of their family members during hospital care. The emotional support provided to family members was rated as moderate, and more than 50% of the patients believed their family members were adequately informed. The results were used to help develop tools for patient and family member education.