Family caregivers' experiences and needs of transitional care during the transfer from intensive care unit to a general ward: A qualitative study

Abstract

Aim: To explore the family caregivers' experiences and needs of transitional care during the transfer from an intensive care unit to a general ward in China. Background:The transfer of patients from the intensive care unit to the ward is a vulnerable time for patients and caregivers, exposing the risk of readmission and death. However, there are few qualitative studies on the family caregivers' views of transitional care for their loved ones in China.Methods: With a qualitative research design, 15 interviews were conducted with 15 family caregivers of hospitalized patients transferred from the neurosurgery ICU to the general ward. Colaizzi's (1978) method of data analysis was performed using the NVivo 11.0 software. Results:Based on data analysis, four themes were obtained: perception of transfer decision, the experience of transitional care, the obstacles to maintaining care efficiency and demand for transitional care. Conclusion:In order to enhance the continuity of care and improve patient safety during the transfer from an ICU to a general ward in China, priorities should be given to the implementation of effective strategies and methods, including providing psychological and emotional support, encouraging active participation of caregivers, and various communication and collaboration procedures. Implications for Nursing Management:The findings from this study can be used as a guide to better preparation and awareness among health care professionals to achieve the much-needed demands of family caregivers, as well as the increased quality of transitional care.

Patient transfer from intensive care units to general wards: An exploratory qualitative study of ward nurses' experiences of patient safety

“…Patients and spouses say that relatives do not feel like an equal part of the patient's treatment when they are transferred to wards and suggest that relatives must be involved in the transfer to a greater extent because they play an important role in the patients' rehabilitation process (Herling et al, 2020 ). To enhance the continuity of care and to improve patient safety during transfers, effective strategies and methods should be implemented, including psychological and emotional support, various communication and collaboration procedures and encouragement of active participation by caregivers (Zhan et al, 2022 ). Studies have also shown that patients, relatives and nurses find written information, such as brochures and standardised guidelines, to be useful (Brooke et al, 2012 ; Haggstrom et al, 2012 ) and that giving patients and their families a supplementary written or verbal status report before transfer might improve patient safety.…”

Pediatricians’ Perspectives on Introducing Transitional Care into Handover Between Pediatric Intensive Care Units and General Wards

“… 2 , 3 Unfortunately, hospitals face bed shortages and overcrowding issues. 4 In modern medicine, it is a common practice to transfer critically ill children between PICUs and general wards. This includes transferring professional responsibilities and obligations towards patients from one doctor to another.…”

Knowledge, attitude and practice of registered nurses toward ICU patients’ transfer anxiety in China: A cross-sectional study

“…Previous studies have shown that patients and their families perceive admission to the ICU as a distressing and frightening experience, with fear, anxiety, psychological distress, and social disorganization [ 2 , 3 ]. At the meantime, a growing body of evidence suggests that discharge from a skilled nursing facility can be equally traumatic [ [4] , [5] , [6] , [7] ]. This phenomenon has been described as transfer anxiety and was accepted by the North American Diagnostic Association in 1992 [ 8 ].…”