"Things That You Thought Mattered, None of That Matters": A Qualitative Exploration of Family Caregiver Values following Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.
Avery C Bechthold, Colleen K McIlvennan, Daniel D Matlock and 5 others
PMID 38786984WHAT IT FOUND
Family caregivers of LVAD patients said values like health, family, faith, and hobbies guided care choices and coping.
Implantation often reshaped priorities, and some avoided discussing values in clinic.
Key findings
01Caregiver values such as health, family, hobbies, and faith guided health decisions and stress management.
02LVAD implantation prompted caregivers to reevaluate relationships and priorities, with some preferring simple time together over larger plans.
03Some caregivers refrained from discussing values during clinical encounters because they perceived their values as irrelevant or believed actions conveyed them.
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 conducted at a single clinic, so it may not reflect other regions or care settings. Caregivers were interviewed at different times after LVAD implantation, so values may differ by point in the care trajectory. Open-ended questions may have missed values caregivers saw as irrelevant to the patient's healthcare. A single coder led the analysis, although team meetings and member checking were used. Caregivers who agreed to discuss values may have been more open than those who declined, and recall may be biased.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat asking caregivers about values as a tested intervention that improves patient outcomes. The study described what caregivers said and did, not whether a communication approach worked.