Effects of Implementing a Brief Family Nursing Intervention With Hospitalized Oncology Patients and Their Families in Germany: A Quasi-Experimental Study.
Manuel Zimansky, Lukasz Stasielowicz, Inga Franke and 3 others
PMID 33283613WHAT IT FOUND
Family nursing produced no significant improvement in patient stress, mood, satisfaction, or family member burden compared to standard care.
The intervention was difficult to implement fully, with nurses lacking time and consulting skills, leading to mixed results overall.
Key findings
01There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups for patient stress, mood, social support, or satisfaction.
02Family members in the intervention group reported no significant reduction in stress, anxiety, physical complaints, or increase in satisfaction compared to controls.
03Implementation was hindered by a lack of time and nursing staff difficulties in adopting the required consulting competencies and family-centered attitudes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a quasi-experimental design rather than a randomized controlled trial. There was a high dropout rate of 58.53%, although comparisons suggested participants and non-participants were similar in health severity. The hospital stay was short (minimum 3 days), which may not have been long enough to observe changes in stress or mood. Implementation was incomplete; nurses struggled to fully adopt the family-centered approach due to time and skill deficits.
Declared interests
The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding. No specific conflicts of interest from authors are detailed in the provided text beyond this funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that family nursing is ineffective in all settings. The null results here are likely influenced by the specific implementation challenges, such as short training periods and time constraints, rather than the model itself being flawed.