Nurses' contribution to relatives' involvement in neurorehabilitation: Facilitators and barriers.
Rikke Guldager, Karen Willis, Kristian Larsen and 1 others
PMID 31660158WHAT IT FOUND
Relatives of patients with severe traumatic brain injury described trust, presence, personalized information and time as key to involvement.
Nurses' communication and ward routines could either open or close this involvement.
Key findings
01Three relatives showed different ways of taking part: one stayed passive and uncertain, one collaborated closely without asking questions, and one actively directed care.
02Relatives described limited time with nurses, standard information and not knowing who to ask as barriers to feeling involved.
03Involvement in nursing care varied: one relative left the room during care, one was asked to reposition the patient, and one was included in medication routines.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study reports only relatives' views. It did not interview nurses, so it cannot show how nurses understood these interactions. The analysis focused on 3 selected cases from 11 caregivers, so the themes cannot be assumed to apply to all relatives. The patients could not consent or take part because of severe brain injury, and relatives spoke for them. The work was done in one specialized Danish rehabilitation department over a short period, so other settings may differ. Qualitative secondary analysis describes experiences and does not test whether a nursing practice improves involvement or patient outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that nurses caused these barriers or that a specific communication method will improve care. It is a small qualitative description of 3 relatives' experiences, not a test of an intervention.