Family members’ experiences of support during care and rehabilitation of patients with severe burns

• Aim: The aim of this study was to explore family members’ experiences of support during burn care and during the rehabilitation phase after hospital discharge.Background: Family members are important in the recovery process of patients with severe burns; however, few previous studies have focused on how this group experiences and values support during care and rehabilitation.Methods: Ten semi-structured interviews with family members of patients treated at the national burn centres were recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using content analysis. The informants were included nationwide, most were females, and different socioeconomic groups were represented.Results: Categories related to experiences during care were: Nonsupport, Professional support, Support from family and friends, A wish for support, and That little something extra. Categories related to experiences during rehabilitation were: Nonsupport, Professional support, Support from family and friends, Support from the injured person and Religion. Support from other family members and friends was generally considered the most important source of support, and there was a wish for more proactive support from care professionals.Conclusion: The experience of support is individual, which makes supporting family members a complex task. Individualized treatment of family members and their inclusion in the care process are of central importance, as is identifying specific needs for support both during the time in hospital and during rehabilitation. It is important to be proactive and offer support.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Kirurgi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Surgery (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

Keyword

burns

experience

family members

nursing

recovery

support

Psychiatry

Psykiatri

Omvårdnadsforskning med medicinsk inriktning

Caring Sciences in Medical Sciences

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)