Communication experiences of family caregivers of hospitalized adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities-A qualitative study.
Marie Lourdes Charles
PMID 33072356WHAT IT FOUND
Family caregivers of hospitalized adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities described needing to be at the bedside, teach staff how to communicate, and watch for medication and care delays.
Some staff listened and spoke directly to the patient.
Key findings
01Caregivers felt they had to be at the bedside, and they reported that nurses did not ask about the patient's level of functioning or communication patterns.
02Caregivers reported staff who did not address the patient or interpret the patient's cues.
03Caregivers reported lack of trust and voiced complaints about medications, assessments and nursing care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 10 family caregivers were interviewed, and the adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and hospital staff were not participants. Most participants received services from the same agency, lived in adjacent counties and may have used the same healthcare facilities. Experiences were self-reported, and interviews occurred 6 months to 3 years after hospitalization, so recall may be incomplete. The study generated themes about caregiver experiences; it did not measure patient outcomes or test a communication intervention. A dearth of prior research on this population made comparison with previous studies difficult.
Declared interests
The author declares no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as evidence that nurses caused medication errors or that a communication programme improves care. The study interviewed 10 caregivers about hospitalizations up to 3 years earlier and reported remembered experiences, not measured patient outcomes.