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Collaboration between relatives of elderly patients and nurses and its relation to satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory.

Lindhardt, Tove LU ; Nyberg, Per LU and Rahm Hallberg, Ingalill LU (2008) In Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 22(4). p.507-519
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Relatives are often involved in the care of frail elderly patients prior to admission and are thus important collaborative partners for nurses. They hold valuable knowledge, which may improve care planning for the benefit of the patient and the hospital care trajectory. Satisfaction among relatives may be an indicator of this. Aim: To investigate collaboration between relatives and nurses among those relatives reporting high versus low satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory. Further, the aim was to investigate the relationship between satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory and (i) participants' characteristics and (ii) the dimensions of collaboration. SAMPLE: Relatives of elderly patients (n = 156) in acute... (More)
BACKGROUND: Relatives are often involved in the care of frail elderly patients prior to admission and are thus important collaborative partners for nurses. They hold valuable knowledge, which may improve care planning for the benefit of the patient and the hospital care trajectory. Satisfaction among relatives may be an indicator of this. Aim: To investigate collaboration between relatives and nurses among those relatives reporting high versus low satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory. Further, the aim was to investigate the relationship between satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory and (i) participants' characteristics and (ii) the dimensions of collaboration. SAMPLE: Relatives of elderly patients (n = 156) in acute hospital wards. Women constituted 74.8%, adult children 63.9% and spouses 20% of the participants. Mean age was 60.78 (SD 11.99). DESIGN: Cross-sectional, comparative, analytical. METHOD: A self-report, structured questionnaire covering attributes, prerequisites, outcome and barriers/promoters for collaboration. Respondents reporting high versus low satisfaction were compared with regards to characteristics and mean scores in dimensions of collaboration. Multivariate logistic regression analyses examined predictors for satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory. Findings: Low satisfaction was significantly related to low level of collaboration. Other predictors for low satisfaction were: feelings of guilt and powerlessness, having provided help for less than a year and not providing psychosocial help. CONCLUSION: Satisfaction with care as a hypothesized outcome of collaboration was supported in this study. Hitherto, research has mainly focussed on relatives as potential clients; this study has focussed on relatives as competent collaborative partners in care. A new role for relatives as partners in decision-making rather than passive recipients of information is indicated for the benefit of care quality. Further, increased collaboration between relatives and nurses, assigning relatives' influence, may reduce their powerlessness and guilt and thereby indirectly increase their satisfaction. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences
volume
22
issue
4
pages
507 - 519
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000260875900003
  • pmid:19068046
  • scopus:56049087991
ISSN
1471-6712
DOI
10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00558.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: The Vårdal Institute (016540000), Division of Nursing (Closed 2012) (013065000), Caring Sciences (Closed 2012) (016514020)
id
dabd1d50-f81c-4817-a419-3aeb50e3e3cd (old id 1276289)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19068046?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:09:05
date last changed
2022-03-07 23:21:45
@article{dabd1d50-f81c-4817-a419-3aeb50e3e3cd,
  abstract     = {{BACKGROUND: Relatives are often involved in the care of frail elderly patients prior to admission and are thus important collaborative partners for nurses. They hold valuable knowledge, which may improve care planning for the benefit of the patient and the hospital care trajectory. Satisfaction among relatives may be an indicator of this. Aim: To investigate collaboration between relatives and nurses among those relatives reporting high versus low satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory. Further, the aim was to investigate the relationship between satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory and (i) participants' characteristics and (ii) the dimensions of collaboration. SAMPLE: Relatives of elderly patients (n = 156) in acute hospital wards. Women constituted 74.8%, adult children 63.9% and spouses 20% of the participants. Mean age was 60.78 (SD 11.99). DESIGN: Cross-sectional, comparative, analytical. METHOD: A self-report, structured questionnaire covering attributes, prerequisites, outcome and barriers/promoters for collaboration. Respondents reporting high versus low satisfaction were compared with regards to characteristics and mean scores in dimensions of collaboration. Multivariate logistic regression analyses examined predictors for satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory. Findings: Low satisfaction was significantly related to low level of collaboration. Other predictors for low satisfaction were: feelings of guilt and powerlessness, having provided help for less than a year and not providing psychosocial help. CONCLUSION: Satisfaction with care as a hypothesized outcome of collaboration was supported in this study. Hitherto, research has mainly focussed on relatives as potential clients; this study has focussed on relatives as competent collaborative partners in care. A new role for relatives as partners in decision-making rather than passive recipients of information is indicated for the benefit of care quality. Further, increased collaboration between relatives and nurses, assigning relatives' influence, may reduce their powerlessness and guilt and thereby indirectly increase their satisfaction.}},
  author       = {{Lindhardt, Tove and Nyberg, Per and Rahm Hallberg, Ingalill}},
  issn         = {{1471-6712}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{507--519}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences}},
  title        = {{Collaboration between relatives of elderly patients and nurses and its relation to satisfaction with the hospital care trajectory.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00558.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1471-6712.2007.00558.x}},
  volume       = {{22}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}