The genogram as a recruitment tool for identifying primary caregivers of youth living with sickle cell disease preparing for transition.
Maureen Varty, Barbara Speller-Brown, Popejoy and 1 others
PMID 36715228WHAT IT FOUND
Genograms drawn with 50 young people with sickle cell disease identified who in the family actually shared disease-management decisions.
A short family map can show whether the caregiver present is the appropriate person for transition education.
Key findings
01Genograms identified one primary caregiver in 43 cases and multiple primary caregivers in 7 cases; 5 of those had two and 2 had three.
02Secondary caregivers were identified in 22 genograms, and most were fathers (16).
03Thirty-one young people reported sibling support and 17 did not; siblings mainly provided emotional support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The original sample was a convenience sample, so the genograms do not represent a random group of young people with sickle cell disease. This secondary analysis had a small sample and did not use inferential statistics. The findings are limited to sickle cell disease and may not apply to other chronic conditions. Family roles were reported by the young person, so details could be forgotten or reported incorrectly. Genograms were designed around nuclear families, and diverse family structures may need careful checking. The genogram took 5 to 10 minutes here, but it could become lengthy if more information is needed. The paper says future research is needed to compare using genograms for recruitment with not using genograms.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that genograms improve transition readiness or patient care. The paper describes how genograms were used to identify caregivers in a small convenience sample, and it says future research is needed to compare using genograms with not using them.