Facilitating more supportive relationships between healthcare professionals and family members of patients with acquired brain injury: a grounded theory study from the perspective of nurses

Abstract

Background Brain injury is often a scary and uncertain time with no definitive outcome. Families of patients are at their most vulnerable as they leave the care of their loved ones to strangers. Families need support and education in order to carry on with their lives (Headway 2020). Therefore, nurses must be educated with access to appropriate resources in order to support families during this time. Literature review The literature presented shows the apparent dissatisfaction of families who have not been adequately supported by healthcare staff. Research has shown that families often feel distant from healthcare staff and unable to communicate, yet there is little research identifying why family’s needs are often unmet by healthcare professionals. Aims and methods The findings from the literature review led to the proposed study using a constructivist grounded theory approach to determine how nurses can be helped to facilitate more supportive relationships between healthcare staff and family members. The outcome of this research aims improve and build on the care that nursing staff already provide. Interviews will be undertaken within the hospital the research is taking place at, unless participants request a different location. These interviews will take one hour each and participants include any registered nurses currently working within neurorehabilitation. Interviews will consist of open-ended questions in order to gather an in-depth knowledge about nurses’ experiences. It is hoped that fifteen nurses will take part in the study. Ethical challenges will be discussed within the research proposal chapter of this dissertation in order to ensure all participants wellbeing and confidentiality is held with the highest regard. The aim of the study is to identify how support currently occurs in practice as well as if there are aspects which can be improved upon and therefore incorporate these findings into future support for the benefit of patients, families and nurses.