Family Health Conversations have Positive Outcomes on Families - A Mixed Method Research Study

Abstract

Background:Having a family member living in a residential home affects the entire family and can be hard to handle. Family members require encouraging and open communication support from nurses during and after relocation to a residential home. A Family Systems Nursing intervention, “Family Health Conversations” (FamHC) was conducted in order to strengthen the health of families having relatives at residential home for older people.Objectives:The aims of this study were to evaluate the responses to the Family Health Conversations in families with a member living at a residential home for older people and to integrate the empirical results with a theoretical assumption upon which the intervention was based.Methods:A mixed methods research design was used. The Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Survey and the Family Hardiness Index were administered before and 6 months after the intervention. Qualitative data was collected by semi-structured interviews with each family 6 months post-intervention. The sample included 10 families comprising 22 family members.Result:Main finding was that FamHCs helped family members process their feelings about having a member living at a residential home and made it easier for them to deal with their own situations. FamHCs helped to ease their consciences, improve their emotional well-being, and change their beliefs about their own insufficiency and guilt. Seeing problems from a different perspective facilitated the families’ thinking in a new way.Conclusion:These findings showed that FamHC could be an important type of intervention to improve family functioning and enhance the emotional well-being.

Envisioning the future as expressed within family health conversations by families of persons suffering from stroke

“…Also, previous studies have shown that families participating in FamHC have improved insight, understanding and communication. Thus, negative feelings could be expressed openly and reflected upon within the family (17,(31)(32)(33)(34)(35). Also, a study by Sundin et al (36) shows that family members share their beliefs and talk about serious issues.…”

Family Health Conversations create awareness of family functioning

“…This is what “working it through” is about, and this study's findings are in total correspondence with the findings reported. Family members cope by using their personal resources and by receiving support from others…”

“…This is what "working it through" is about, and this study's findings are in total correspondence with the findings reported. Family members cope by using their personal resources and by receiving support from others [28][29][30] Families participating in the FamHC reported healthier family function than families just having regular follow up. 17 A healthy family function may be facilitated by health professionals supporting the family during the ICU stay while following proper guidelines.…”

Do family health conversations impact patients with glioblastoma multiforme and their family members?

“…However, there are studies with a qualitative approach that demonstrate a positive effect. In these studies, patients have a different diagnosis (Dorell, Isaksson, Östlund, & Sundin, ; Östlund, Bäckström, & Saveman, ). In future studies in the field, it is recommended that the families themselves choose when the therapeutic conversations will take place during the course.…”

“…However, there are studies with a qualitative approach that demonstrate a positive effect. In these studies, patients have a different diagnosis (Dorell, Isaksson, Östlund, & Sundin, 2017;Östlund, Bäckström, & Saveman, 2016).…”