An Educational Intervention Incorporating Digital Storytelling to Implement Family Nursing Practice in Acute Care Settings

Abstract

This project describes implementation of an educational intervention designed to initiate practice changes that support families and nurses during acute illness. An academic–practice partnership and digital storytelling methodology provided a foundation. A quasi-experimental research design included quantitative and qualitative measurement before and after the educational intervention. Themes identified in digital stories of nurse experiences caring for families provided direction for the educational intervention including the digital stories, empirical evidence, and proposed changes in nursing practice focused on families. Nurse participants ( n = 160) in the educational intervention reported positive responses on a qualitative questionnaire. Comparing pretest and posttest results of the Family Nurse Practice Scale reflected positive, though not significant change. Family members ( n = 49) reported significantly improved perceptions of support on 7 of the 14 items on the Iceland Perceived Family Support Questionnaire. This project highlighted digital storytelling’s power to promote family interventions and move family nursing knowledge into practice.

The Implementation of Evidence-Informed Family Nursing Practices: A Scoping Review of Strategies, Contextual Determinants, and Outcomes

“…Of the 24 included studies, 11 studies implemented a family-centered care approach ( Boztepe & Kerimoğlu Yıldız, 2017 ; Gomes da Silva et al, 2016 ; Hamilton et al, 2020 ; Kleinpell et al, 2019 ; MacKay & Gregory, 2011 ; Maree et al, 2017 ; Mirlashari et al, 2019 ; Shah-Anwar et al, 2019 ; Toivonen et al, 2019 ; Weis et al, 2014 ; Wells et al, 2014 ). Ten studies implemented Family Systems Nursing ( Beierwaltes et al, 2020 ; Blöndal et al, 2014 ; Eggenberger & Sanders, 2016 ; Naef, Kaeppeli et al, 2020 ; Naef, Kläusler-Troxler et al, 2020 ; Petursdottir et al, 2019 ; Svavarsdottir et al, 2015 ; Wong, 2014 ; Zimansky et al, 2018 , 2020 ). Three studies implemented a family-focused intervention program ( Antolick et al, 2020 ; Duke et al, 2020 ; Wells et al, 2014 ; see Table 1 ).…”

“…A total of 18 studies specified their implementation strategies. Most implementation efforts entailed an educational component, which was, except for one study ( Wong, 2014 ), combined with the use of a local implementation team or champion/facilitator roles that provided clinical mentoring and supervision ( Ahlqvist-Björkroth et al, 2019 ; Beierwaltes et al, 2020 ; Blöndal et al, 2014 ; Eggenberger & Sanders, 2016 ; Naef, Kaeppeli, et al, 2020 ; Naef, Kläusler-Troxler, et al, 2020 ; Petursdottir et al, 2019 ; Svavarsdottir et al, 2015 ; Toivonen et al, 2019 ; Weis et al, 2014 ; Zimansky et al, 2018 , 2020 ). Others used a quality improvement methodology that combined feedback loops and local capacity-building strategies ( Antolick et al, 2020 ; Duke et al, 2020 ; Kleinpell et al, 2019 ; Maree et al, 2017 ), and one study did not provide sufficient detail ( Wells et al, 2014 ).…”

“…Nurse outcomes, such as skills ( n = 6), attitudes ( n = 4), and knowledge ( n = 3), were the most frequently investigated type of outcome ( n = 8 studies; Beierwaltes et al, 2020 ; Blöndal et al, 2014 ; Eggenberger & Sanders., 2016; Naef, Kaeppeli, et al, 2020 ; Naef, Kläusler-Troxler, et al, 2020 ; Petursdottir et al, 2019 ; Svavarsdottir et al, 2015 ; Wong, 2014 ). Educational strategies, coupled with clinical supervision, training activities, or local champion roles, improved nurse’s skill in working with families (as measured with the Family Nursing Practice Scale; Beierwaltes et al, 2020 ; Eggenberger & Sanders, 2016 ; Naef, Kaeppeli, et al, 2020 ; Naef, Kläusler-Troxler, et al, 2020 ; Petursdottir et al, 2019 ; Wong, 2014 ) and reached statistical significance in half of the studies ( Naef, Kaeppeli, et al, 2020 ; Naef, Kläusler-Troxler, et al, 2020 ; Petursdottir et al, 2019 ). Nurses’ attitudes toward families, as assessed with the Families’ Importance in Nursing Care—Nurses’ Attitudes, did not change because of these implementation efforts ( Blöndal et al, 2014 ; Naef, Kaeppeli, et al, 2020 ; Naef, Kläusler-Troxler, et al, 2020 ; Svavarsdottir et al, 2015 ).…”

Application of the READY framework supports effective communication between health care providers and family members in intensive care

“…Involvement of family members in blended learning platforms (e.g., family stories via YouTube videos) to improve nurses' knowledge of family assessments has shown promise [ 18 ] in affording a more cost-effective and sustainable approach in the ICU, given the current pandemic restrictions. Furthermore, a recent study in the acute care setting used a digital storytelling methodology to promote effective nurse–family communication and support PFCC-focused interventions [ 19 ]. Future researchers should examine and report the cost of implementing the READY framework in the ICU, and the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist [ 20 ] can be used to inform this process.…”

District nursing and family/whanau assessment practices: A New Zealand study

“…They typically incorporate a socio‐ecological approach to nursing care, based on a holistic, social, and environmental perspective of health, recognizing that social determinants of health may have more impact than medical care on overall health outcomes (McMurray & Clendon, 2015 ). As part of this approach, DNs acknowledge family members as an integral part of the healthcare team, emphasizing therapeutic conversations as part of this approach (Beierwaltes et al., 2020 ).…”