Family Systems Nursing

Abstract

In Hong Kong, mental health care has traditionally focused on the individual and the concept of considering the family as the unit of care is relatively new. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating a family systems nursing project in a psychiatric setting in Hong Kong. Psychiatric nurses ( N = 110) participated in seminars focusing on family systems nursing concepts and individuals and families suffering from mental illness. The Calgary Family Assessment Model and the Calgary Family Intervention Model formed the framework for practice. Significant changes were found both in the nurses' critical appraisal of their clinical practice related to family systems nursing and in their reflections on the reciprocity in their nurse/family relationships. In addition, hospital-wide systems outcomes were noted. This project appears to demonstrate that a family systems nursing approach is relevant for psychiatric nurses caring for Chinese individuals and their families suffering from mental illness.

Knowledge Translation in Family Nursing

“…Intervention is directed through therapeutic conversation to the systems level where there might be the greatest leverage for change with the intention of softening illness suffering (Bell & Wright, 2011). Family Systems Nursing research has examined the outcomes of offering an educational intervention to practicing nurses, beginning with the early work of Maureen Leahey and her colleagues Harper-Jaques, Stout, and Levac (1995) and the research of LeGrow and Rossen (2005); Leahey and Svavarsdottir (2009); Martinez, D’Artois, and Rennick (2007); Simpson, Yeung, Kwan, and Wah (2006); and Sveinbjarnardottir, Svavarsdottir, and Saveman (2011).…”

“…Peggy Simpson distinguished herself early in her advanced practice career by offering coaching and mentoring to practicing nurses that targeted knowledge translation of Family Systems Nursing and larger systems change (Bell, 2013a). She conducted research about a unique knowledge to action process she designed and implemented using Participatory Action Research and appreciative inquiry with practicing nurses in acute care and inpatient mental health settings at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Vosburg & Simpson, 1993); Castle Peak Hospital in Hong Kong (Simpson et al, 2006) and, most recently, at Providence Health Care in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Simpson, 2013). In 2012, the British Columbia Ministry of Health conducted a survey of patient satisfaction of all of the mental health units across the province.…”

Nurses’ perspective of conducting family conversation

“…The families’ emotional well-being improved and so did their interactions within and outside the family (Östlund & Persson, 2014 ). Other studies have also shown a positive impact on families’ after their participation in FSN interventions in different contexts (e.g., Årestedt, Persson, & Benzein, 2014 ; Benzein, Olin, & Persson, 2015 ; Kamban & Svavarsdottir, 2013 ; Simpson, Yeung, Kwan, & Wah, 2006 ; Sundin et al, 2015 ; Sveinbjarnardottir, Svavarsdottir, & Wright, 2013 ). This could be significant for the residents, their families, and the RNs, as FSN has been shown to improve emotional well-being, family function, and improved family–nurse collaboration (Duhamel, Dupuis, Turcotte, Martinez, & Goudreau, 2015 ; Östlund & Persson, 2014 ).…”

Factors Associated With the Perception of Family Nursing Practice Among Mental Health Nurses in Taiwan

“…Nevertheless, nurses in mental health care often encounter competing demands between caring for individual patients and caring for family members of patients who often require support in their own right. Nurses often experience conflicts or dilemmas concerning support of families due to the absence of adequate knowledge and skills of family-centered approaches (Blomqvist & Ziegert 2011; Simpson, Yeung, Kwan, & Wah, 2006; Sjöblom et al, 2005), lack of available time (Goodwin & Happell, 2007b; Sjöblom et al, 2005), and lack of ongoing contact and attention to family needs (Goodwin & Happell, 2006; Sjöblom et al, 2005). Additional factors that limit nurses’ involvement with families include the lack of professional autonomy, coaching, and organizational support (Blomqvist & Ziegert, 2011); respect and concern for patient confidentiality (Goodwin & Happell, 2006; Weimand et al, 2013); and even the patient’s refusal to involve his or her family in the caring process (Kim & Salyers, 2008).…”