Caregiving in the COVID-19 pandemic: Family adaptations following an intensive care unit hospitalisation.
Sheria G Robinson-Lane, Amanda N Leggett, Florence U Johnson and 8 others
PMID 36262026WHAT IT FOUND
Sixteen caregivers described feeling isolated and unprepared, with family support and home health services easing their burden.
Patients resisted being helped to maintain independence. Clinicians should assess family support networks before discharge to prevent caregiver overwhelm and poor recovery.
Key findings
01Caregivers reported feeling isolated and unprepared, relying heavily on family and friends for emotional and practical support.
02Patients resisted assistance to maintain independence, creating role conflict and tension in the caregiving relationship.
03Home health services and community support reduced caregiver burden, but many families experienced delays in receiving these services after discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was not diverse, being predominantly White, college-educated, and with incomes over $50,000, limiting generalizability to minoritized or lower-resourced populations. The data were collected using interview scripts designed for a broader study on COVID-19 experiences, which may have lacked in-depth focus on specific caregiving adaptation strategies. The study relied on self-reported experiences from a relatively small sample of 16 dyads, and findings are qualitative, describing experiences rather than measuring outcomes or effectiveness of interventions.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Nursing Research, Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development, the University of Michigan Office of Research, and the Procter & Gamble Company. The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Procter & Gamble stated they had no influence on the study design, data analysis, or manuscript preparation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific interventions, such as the Roy Adaptation Model or home health services, improve clinical outcomes or reduce caregiver burden. This is a qualitative study describing the experiences of a small, homogeneous group of families; it identifies themes and challenges but does not test the efficacy of any care model or intervention.