Family Involvement During Patient Hospitalisation-Developing and Testing a Clinical Decision Aid.
Leah Sejrup Christensen, Mette Hulbæk Andersen, Anette Brink and 1 others
PMID 40059501WHAT IT FOUND
Patients and families valued a decision aid that clarified who should be involved in hospital care and how.
It helped them agree on options like self-involvement, ward rounds, or video calls, reducing mismatched expectations between patients and relatives.
Key findings
01Three themes emerged from interviews: involving family when needed, waiting for ward rounds, and involving family with technology.
02Patients and family members found the decision aid helpful in clarifying their needs and preferences for family involvement.
03Healthcare professionals reported the aid facilitated important conversations between patients and families.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was qualitative and descriptive; it did not measure clinical outcomes like patient satisfaction scores, length of stay, or readmission rates. Most family participants were female and adult children, which may limit generalizability to other family structures or genders. Interviews relied on handwritten notes without recordings, potentially missing nuances in responses. The alpha-testing questionnaire was originally designed for treatment decisions, not family involvement, which may have affected how well it captured usability. Healthcare professionals were novices in shared decision-making, so their negative feedback on 'forced' conversations may reflect a learning curve rather than a flaw in the tool itself.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this tool improves clinical outcomes like recovery or satisfaction. It was tested for usability and perceived helpfulness in clarifying preferences, not for effectiveness in changing patient health or reducing caregiver burden.