The lived experience of family caregivers caring for patients dependent on life-sustaining technologies.
Waraporn Kongsuwan, Pongpaka Borvornluck, Rozzano C Locsin
PMID 31406849WHAT IT FOUND
Ten family caregivers of patients on life-sustaining technologies described feeling invisible, struggling to trust alarms, living in uncertainty, and supporting patients' wholeness.
Key findings
01Ten family caregivers described four themes: feeling invisible, supporting patients' wholeness, struggling to trust technologies, and living in uncertainty.
02Caregivers said nurses and physicians rarely greeted or talked with them and appeared focused on technologies, making them feel unseen.
03Caregivers feared alarms because they were not educated about them, yet recognized that technologies helped monitor and sustain their loved one's life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This study included ten family caregivers in one hospital in southern Thailand, so the themes may not transfer to other cultures, hospitals, or patient groups. Pediatric caregivers were excluded. The findings are self-reported experiences and do not test whether any nursing communication or education approach changes caregiver distress, patient care, or outcomes. Data were translated by the researcher and checked by one bilingual professor, and the analysis was guided by a specific nursing theory, which may shape the themes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by a Faculty of Medicine Grant from Prince of Songkla University.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a specific nursing communication method improves patient or caregiver outcomes. The study asked ten family caregivers to describe their experiences, so it reports what they felt and said, not what nurses should assume will work for every family.