Family-Centered Communication and Acute Stress in Israeli Intensive Care Units

Development and Validation of the Therapeutic Communication Scale in Nursing Students

This study aimed to develop and validate a scale for measuring the therapeutic communication of nursing students. The scale development and evaluation study was conducted based on the scale development guidelines of DeVellis. A 47-item instrument was developed based on a review of the literature and interviews with 16 experts. Content validity was evaluated by ten nursing scholars, and the number of items was reduced to 35. The scale was administered to 352 nursing students from three regions in South Korea in 2022. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed on the scale items. Convergent validity, discriminant validity, and internal consistency reliability of the scale were evaluated. The factor analysis resulted in 15 items and two factors: relationship building and problem solving. Confirmatory factor analysis and evaluation of convergent and discriminant validity provided support for the validity of the two-factor Therapeutic Communication Scale in nursing students. The total scale demonstrated good internal consistency, with a McDonald's omega (ω) of 0.89. The Therapeutic Communication Scale is a reliable and valid measure that can be used to assess nursing students' therapeutic communication competence related to patient-centered nursing and provide foundational data to improve such skills.

Stress and coping strategies among parents of children with cancer at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital paediatric oncology unit, Ethiopia: a phenomenological study

OBJECTIVE

This study explores sources of stress, conditions that help reduce stress levels and coping strategies among parents of children with cancer receiving chemotherapy at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) in Ethiopia.

DESIGN

A qualitative phenomenological approach was used.

SETTING

Parents of children receiving chemotherapy at the TASH paediatric oncology unit.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifteen semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with nine mothers and six fathers of children with cancer from November 2020 to January 2021.

RESULTS

Sources of stress related to child's health condition as the severity of the child's illness, fear of treatment side effects and loss of body parts were identified. Parents mentioned experiencing stress arising from limited access to health facilities, long waiting times, prolonged hospital stays, lack of chemotherapy drugs, and limited or inadequate information about their child's disease condition and treatment. Other sources of stress were insufficient social support, stigmatisation of cancer and financial problems. Conditions decreasing parents' stress included positive changes in the child's health, receiving cancer treatment and access to drugs. Receiving counselling from healthcare providers, getting social support and knowing someone who had a positive treatment outcome also helped reduce stress. Coping strategies used by parents were religious practices including prayer, crying, accepting the child's condition, denial and communication with health providers.

CONCLUSION

The main causes of stress identified by parents of children with cancer in Ethiopia were the severity of their child's illness, expectations of poor treatment outcomes, unavailability of cancer treatment services and lack of social/financial support. Measures that should be considered to reduce parents' stress include providing psycho-oncological care for parents and improving the counselling available to parents concerning the nature of the child's illness, its treatment, diagnostic procedures and treatment side effects. It may also be helpful to establish and strengthen family support groups and parent-to-parent communication, improve the availability of chemotherapy drugs and offer more education on coping strategies.

Nursing Interventions to Reduce Stress in Families of Critical Care Patients: An Integrative Review

BACKGROUND

Having a family member admitted to an intensive care unit is a stressful experience that may lead to psychological symptoms including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To better understand the phenomenon of stress experienced by families of intensive care unit patients and identify nursing interventions that may help reduce it.

METHODS

An integrative literature review was performed to identify principal stressors for families of patients receiving care in neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care units and recommended nursing interventions.

RESULTS

The principal stressors in the 3 types of intensive care units were change in parental role or family dynamics, appearance and behavior of the patient, the care setting, and communication with the health care staff. Nursing interventions should focus on valuing the role of family members in patient care, improving communication, and providing accurate information.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Family members of intensive care patients will benefit from nursing interventions that adequately acknowledge and address the stress they experience.

CONCLUSION

Nurses play a crucial role in helping to reduce the stress experienced by family members of intensive care unit patients.

Enhancing Family-Centered Care in Cardiothoracic Surgery

The psychological impact of critical illness is far reaching, affecting patients and their loved ones. Family members face a multitude of stressors, ranging from concerns about death or permanent disability to stress over health care costs and lost wages. Patients are at risk for developing post-intensive care syndrome. Professional groups and patient safety organizations have crafted family-centered care (FCC) models that support hospitalized patients and their families. There is a paucity of data on use of FCC in cardiothoracic intensive care units. This article discusses FCC models and why they are beneficial to the needs of families of postoperative cardiothoracic surgery patients.

Health Professionals' Perceptions and Practice of Family Centred Care for Children Injured in Road Traffic Accidents: A Qualitative Study in Ghana

The Family Centered Care (FCC) model is widely recognized as the standard for pediatric care practice in the context of families and hospitalized children. Healthcare professionals' knowledge of the FCC model is therefore central to its successful implementation. Nonetheless, there is paucity of scholarship in the Ghanaian context, regarding professionals' knowledge and practice of FCC.

OBJECTIVES

This study, being the first in the Ghanaian context aimed to explore the perceptions of family centered care among healthcare professionals who provide the healthcare needs of children hospitalized through road traffic accidents.

METHOD

Twenty-four (24) healthcare professionals were interviewed as part of a larger study which adopted a Grounded Theory approach. Data collection and analysis occurred concurrently. Here, we employed constant comparative methods to structure emerging categories and sub-categories.

FINDINGS

Most health professionals in the study perceived family centered care to mean family involvement, although obvious inconsistencies characterized existing practices. Based on contextual perspectives, three categories emerged, namely; parental involvement, communication and setting boundaries.

CONCLUSION

The concept of FCC is a familiar terminology among health professionals. However, its principles, components and dimensions in the western context are alien to healthcare professionals in Ghana. A context-specific FCC model which reflects social values and cultural norms is therefore required for healthcare services to children and families in Ghana.