What does family-centred care mean to nurses and how do they think it could be enhanced in practice.

coyne i., o'neill c., murphy m., costello t. & o'shea r. (2011) What does family-centred care mean to nurses and how do they think it could be enhanced in practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(12), 2561-2573. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of the qualitative findings of a multisite survey in seven children's units in Ireland. In this survey, nurses caring for children identified their practice and perception of family-centred care. Background. International research has identified inconsistencies with the provision and application of family-centred care in practice. Existing research studies illustrate barriers to family-centred care including nurses' attitudes to families and a lack of support and resources for the philosophy. Method. A descriptive survey design was employed to collect data in 2008-2009. Questionnaires were distributed to nurses ( n = 750) which yielded a response rate of 33% ( n = 250). The nurses completed a 47-item questionnaire which examined nurses' perceptions and practices of family-centred care, the quantitative findings of this study will be reported in another publication. The questionnaire contained two open-ended questions and the data from these questions are reported here. Findings. While nurses accept family-centred care as an ideal philosophy for the care of children and their families, the implementation of family-centred care in practice would seem to present challenges for nurses. The majority in this study indicated that they required further organizational and managerial support to fully implement family-centred care practices. Two interrelated themes were identified 'the components of family-centred care' and 'enhancing family-centred care'. Conclusion. To provide good quality family-centred care nurses need adequate resources, appropriate education, support for managers and support from other healthcare disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]