AimTo uncover the substance of how suffering is associated with human beings with thoughts or plans about ending their lives by suicide and to bring out more diversity, complexity, and contextuality of this phenomenon. Understanding as an important virtue underscores the safeguarding of the patient's dignity as a holy element.BackgroundThe study is grounded in a caring science perspective where suffering is seen as embodied in the human being. Methodology and design: This integrative literature review presents a combination of data from both theoretical and empirical literature with a reading of selected articles. Ethical ontological questions are prerequisites for highlighting caring understanding. Through the reading of a truthful written text of experienced suffering with love and compassion, it is possible to confirm and serve life and health.Data sourcesEmbase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, and Nursing Ethics. Ethical consideration: The study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integration.ResultsThree distinct themes were identified as a basis for considerations related to suffering: (a) Suffering in time and space, (b) Bearable and unbearable suffering, and (c) Language as essential for being.ConclusionThe language of suffering in caring science is made visible. Caring understanding has an inherent ought to, embraced by ethos towards alleviation. Life-threatening suffering is revealed. Thinking of suicide as a way out can make it possible to endure the suffering. Lack of caring understanding was a threat to some of the patients' dignity. Lack of evidence exists as to whether telling the suffering story is a movement in the direction of alleviation and this calls for further research to examine if caring and caring science can embrace this suffering.
Moral courage is a fundamental professional trait that enables nurses to uphold ethical principles, protect patient rights and provide safe and compassionate care. Care behaviours constitute the essence of nursing practice and reflect the ethical, humanistic and professional dimensions of care. Although it is assumed that moral courage influences the quality of care, empirical evidence directly examining this relationship is limited. This study aimed to determine nurses' levels of moral courage and caring behaviours and to examine the relationship between these two concepts. This cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted among nurses working at three public hospitals in Turkey between March and July 2025. The sample consisted of 328 nurses selected from a population of 1800 nurses using a stratified proportional sampling method. Data were collected online using the Nurses' Ethical Courage Scale and the Nursing Care Behaviours Inventory-30. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, the independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA and linear regression. It was determined that nurses' levels of moral courage (83.51 ± 12.53) and care behaviours (144.39 ± 19.62) were high. A moderate, positive and statistically significant relationship was found between moral courage and total care behaviours (r = 0.407, p < 0.01). Regression analysis results indicated that moral courage is a predictor of care behaviours and explains 16.3% of the variance (R2 = 0.163, p < 0.001). Additionally, it was found that nurses with a lower patient load, aged ≥ 41, with ≥ 16 years of professional experience and who believe the nursing profession is care-focused had significantly higher care behaviour scores (p < 0.05). The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between moral courage and nursing caring behaviours and demonstrate that moral courage is a predictor of caring behaviours. These results suggest that moral courage may contribute to the delivery of ethical, holistic and high-quality nursing care. In this context, enhancing ethics education and fostering supportive organisational environments are recommended to strengthen nurses' moral courage. Future research should examine contextual and organisational factors influencing moral courage and caring behaviours using larger and more diverse samples.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of perceived social support on newborn hygienic care and breastfeeding intentions in primigravid pregnancies. This study had a descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational design. The study was conducted with 360 primigravid pregnant women who visited the Obstetrics Outpatient Clinic of a university hospital in Türkiye. A Descriptive Information Form, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Scale of Readiness for the Hygienic Care of the Newborn, and the Infant Feeding Intentions Scale were used to collect data. The relationships between scale scores were examined using Pearson's correlation analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of perceived social support on newborn hygienic care and breastfeeding intention. The mean total scores of the participants were 70.72 ± 14.04 (min: 12, max: 87) on the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, 55.71 ± 14.22 (min: 10, max: 70) on the Scale of Readiness for the Hygienic Care of the Newborn, and 6.95 ± 1.36 (min: 0, max: 9.5) on the Infant Feeding Intentions Scale. It was determined that the participants who were working, those whose babies were female, those who wanted to receive information about infant care, and those with high Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scores were more prepared for the hygienic care of their newborns (p < 0.001). The Infant Feeding Intentions Scale scores of the participants were significantly associated with their working status, status of wanting to receive information about infant care, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support scores (p < 0.001). As the perceived social support levels of primigravid pregnant women increased, their readiness for the hygienic care of their newborns and their intentions to breastfeed their newborns also increased. This study provides insights into antenatal care planning by holistically addressing social support systems, newborn hygienic care readiness, and breastfeeding intentions in a primigravid sample. Therefore, health professionals may consider evaluating the social support systems of pregnant women, strengthening their social support systems during the care process, and providing the necessary professional support.
Patient-centeredness is considered a key component of efficient, high-quality healthcare services. As digital care is becoming an established part of healthcare systems, there is a need to explore patients' and professionals' experiences of patient-centeredness in digital care. To synthesise the existing qualitative evidence on patients' and healthcare professionals' experiences of patient-centeredness in digital care. This was a systematic review of qualitative evidence conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for qualitative systematic reviews. Reporting followed the PRISMA checklist. A systematic search was performed on Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL and the Finnish database Medic in October 2023 and updated in April 2026. Eligible studies were qualitative and reported adult patients' or healthcare professionals' experiences of patient-centredness in digital care across healthcare settings. Data were synthesised using thematic synthesis. Following duplicate removal, 5682 records were identified through database searches, and 30 reports fulfilled the inclusion criteria for this review. Based on thematic synthesis, seven analytical themes were constructed: (1) enabling patients' ownership of their condition, (2) supporting patients' sense of safety and continuity, (3) rebuilding the patient-professional relationship, (4) influencing equality in digital care and (5) increasing the versatility of professionals and organisations. The findings suggest that digital care influences patient-centeredness in multiple ways. Patients and professionals describe digital care as offering new ways to enhance patient-centeredness, for instance, by providing support to patients in new ways and increasing patient participation. Both patients' and professionals' roles are described as changing in digital care, with patients becoming more actively involved in taking responsibility for their health and professionals enabling this by integrating their expertise with patients'. Technology and the physical distance of digital care were described as posing challenges to the patient-professional relationship, while technology-based support was described as enhancing patients' sense of safety.
The aim of the study was to explore the meaning attributed by specialist ambulance nurses to the process of establishing and maintaining a caring relationship in the prehospital context. Previous studies suggest that some patients may feel overlooked or not taken seriously in encounters with the ambulance service. Even brief caring relationships in prehospital care can support well-being, strengthen patients' own resources, and help preserve dignity. However, less is known about how these relationships are experienced and interpreted by specialist ambulance nurses. Eleven specialist ambulance nurses were interviewed digitally in Sweden. Data were analysed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method, developed by Lindseth and Norberg based on Ricoeur's epistemology, with the aim of interpreting the meaning of the lived experiences expressed in the interviews. Specialist ambulance nurses' main concern was to achieve concordance, that is, a situation involving acceptance of the circumstances, consensus and concurrence in a state of harmony, leading to a caring ambulance clinician-patient encounter built on mutual trust and understanding. However, the participants also reported disruptive encounters with patients and their significant others involving resistance to the circumstances, disagreement, disbelief and a sense of frustration, resulting in a prehospital encounter built on mutual bias and misunderstanding. Caring relationships in the prehospital context are shaped by concordance and disruption, fostering relational connectedness or experiences of abandonment. Just care requires specialist ambulance nurses to recognise and challenge inherent biases, as otherwise health promotion may be overshadowed by the power to refuse care.
To synthesise the body of knowledge on the factors influencing caring behaviours among nurses working in hospital settings. Scoping review of original research articles. This scoping review followed Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework and was reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR checklist. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar in April 2025 for studies published between 2015 and 2025. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed original research that measured caring behaviour as an outcome among nurses working in hospital settings. A total of 34 original research articles included in this scoping review: 29 quantitative studies, three mixed method studies, and two qualitative studies. Factors influencing caring behaviour among nurses were varied across the studies. All the factors reported in the reviewed studies are aggregated into five main categories: (1) demographic factors, (2) work-related factors, (3) psychosocial factors, (4) ethical, moral, and professional factors, and (5) leadership and organisational factors. Among the demographic factors, age, education level, and income were positively associated with caring behaviours. Work-related factors influencing caring behaviours were job satisfaction, workload, and work environment. Psychosocial factors associated with caring behaviour include work-related stress, emotional intelligence, and resilience. Additionally, moral sensitivity, professional values, leadership, and organisational support were positive factors influencing care behaviour of nurses. This scoping review revealed multiple factors influencing caring behaviours among nurses. Healthcare providers and nurse leaders should consider these factors when developing strategies to promote caring behaviour in nursing practice. Future studies with qualitative inquiry would provide a comprehensive understanding of nurses' perspectives on caring behaviour.
The aim of this paper is to assess interprofessional competence and explain factors associated with it among health and social care professionals working in specialized palliative care hospital wards. The research study employs a descriptive cross-sectional approach. The study followed good scientific practice. Ethical approvals were obtained from the Ethics Committee of Tampere University (85/2022) and the Ethics Committee of the Pirkanmaa Wellbeing Services County (6/2023). Research permits were obtained separately from each institution that participated in the study. Participation was voluntary, contingent on informed consent and the confidentiality of participants was protected. In total, 153 health and social care professionals from 16 specialized palliative care wards in Finland participated in the study. The data were collected from May 2023 to March 2024, using the previously validated generic IPEC instrument and newly developed, palliative-care-specific ICOPA self-assessment instruments. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Due to the data not being normally distributed, non-parametric Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied, depending on the number of groups compared. Pearson's correlation was used to examine associations between variables. Health and social care professionals self-assessed their interprofessional competence as good. Among the interprofessional competencies, values and ethics were assessed highest, while teams and teamwork were assessed lowest. Education level, participation in interprofessional education, work experience, amount of teamwork conducted in their own unit, and evaluation considering teamwork functionality had a statistically significant association with professionals' better self-assessed interprofessional competence. The results have identified competence gaps that will guide the development of interprofessional practice. However, because the currently used instruments are based on self-assessment, objective measures are also needed to ensure a comprehensive evaluation of interprofessional competence.
Caregivers of stroke survivors often face challenges due to the complex nature of caregiving responsibilities and the lack of adequate support systems. Understanding their burden of care and experiences with healthcare professionals is crucial for improving caregiver well-being and patient outcomes. Was to identify unmet needs for support among caregivers of stroke survivors by exploring their burden of care and experiences of collaboration and support provided by health professionals. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with informal caregivers of stroke survivors. Participants were recruited from a university hospital, among caregivers of patients discharged after a moderate to severe stroke (modified Rankin Scale score 3-5). Thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring patterns and themes within the data. Fifteen participants were interviewed, and three interconnected themes were constructed from the data: "New roles and a new life," "conflicting expectations," and "unmet needs for information and advice." Caregivers described the burden of assuming multiple responsibilities, navigating expectations, and adapting their home and life to accommodate the needs of the stroke survivor. Further, they expressed dissatisfaction with the support and information provided by healthcare professionals, highlighting unmet needs for clearer communication, follow-up and guidance. Caregivers of stroke survivors experience a significant burden. The findings show poor communication, care continuity, and information to support caregivers. Meeting those needs may reduce caregiver burden and enhance their experience with the healthcare system. This highlights the need for more stroke-specific education and targeted research on effective interventions.
Peer-perpetrated sexual violence is very common in young adult relationships. In Sweden, one in four young women has experienced sexual violence, and it is a leading cause of mental health issues among young women today. Knowledge about how recovery is enabled for young women with experience of peer-perpetrated sexual violence remains limited. The primary emphasis of caring is to support health and well-being and to contribute to recovery; therefore, understanding the meaning of how recovery is enabled is essential when caring for these young women. The aim of this study is to describe the meaning of enabling recovery as experienced by young women following peer-perpetrated sexual violence. A reflective lifeworld research approach was applied in this phenomenological study. Twelve young women, aged 17 to 25 years, participated in lifeworld interviews exploring the meaning of enabling recovery following peer-perpetrated sexual violence. The essential meaning of enabling recovery is described as: "By unveiling the hidden, the movement of life reclaims existence." This is further described through the four constituents: Striking insight, A haven for rest, Existential safeness and Sharing one's story in a safe place. The enabling of recovery from peer-perpetrated sexual violence emerges as a dynamic movement that involves both physical and existential aspects. It emphasises that reclaiming one's existence requires a movement in life that strives to enhance well-being. Every element that contributes to this movement is interconnected, and no part can function in isolation from the others. This study provides an in-depth understanding of how recovery is enabled following peer-perpetrated sexual violence. It highlights the long-term impact on young women's health and well-being and emphasises the importance of a lifeworld-led, recovery-oriented caring approach that addresses both physical and existential dimensions. Enabling recovery is understood as an interconnected and dynamic process of meaning-making, where uncovering lived experiences and supporting existential safeness and stillness help young women to reclaim their existence.
Palliative care is required for all life-threatening diagnoses, aiming to prevent and reduce patients' experienced total pain, hence improving the quality of life for both patients and their relatives. Providing palliative care at home and facilitating home deaths is challenging. Norwegian authorities recognise insufficient competence among healthcare professionals as a factor within this area. To elucidate how healthcare professionals experience their utilisation of individual competencies when providing palliative end-of-life care at home. A qualitative study was performed in the Norwegian home care service. Ten individual semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals were conducted. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, employing a critical realist approach. Three themes were developed: (1) Being the right person for the job, (2) The patient is more than a diagnosis and (3) Supporting relatives along the journey. Healthcare professionals' individual competencies made them well-suited to provide palliative care, enabled them to recognise patients as unique individuals, and facilitated essential support and empowerment of their relatives. Important individual competencies among healthcare professionals were personal intuition, compassion, attentiveness, respect, flexibility and open-mindedness. The right healthcare professionals for providing palliative end-of-life care at home must utilise their individual competencies to seamlessly unite the art of caring with the science of palliative medicine. By doing this, healthcare professionals can better fulfil the aims of palliative care and provide high-quality care for patients.
This study aimed to determine the effects of caregiver burden on the healthy lifestyle behaviours of people caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease. The Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour Scale-II (HLBS-II) were administered to caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients who were admitted to the Neurology Department Dementia Outpatient Clinic of a university hospital in Ankara (n = 84). Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were used in the study. A moderate, negative and statistically significant correlation was found between CBI and HLBS-II (r = -0.40; p < 0.001). The effect of CBI on HLBS-II was significant even in the presence of control variables (b = -0.29; p < 0.05). The increase in social burden (b = -0.92; p < 0.05) and developmental burden (b = -0.65; p = 0.053) of the CBI dimensions caused a decrease in healthy lifestyle behaviours. Effective home care for Alzheimer's patients requires caregivers to maintain their own good health. This study demonstrates that increased caregiver burden, particularly in social and developmental domains, negatively impacts their healthy lifestyle behaviours. Policies should focus on reducing this burden to enhance caregiver well-being and ensure sustainable home care.
To add nuance to when and how remote technologies should be used to support dementia care, we examine care workers' experiences of two phone-based digital systems used for monitoring and planning in daily care. Short-term ethnography at three care homes, 49 qualitative interviews, and five video-recorded situations provided data for a detailed account of care workers' experiences of the digital systems. Latour's concept of "presence in absence" was used to theorise the emergent theme of distant presence. Participants were given information about the project, asked to provide written consent, and could stop their participation at any time. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. Ethnographic notes and interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurrent and meaningful themes. Video recordings were transcribed and analysed using multimodal conversation analysis to illustrate how the technology affected the progression of interaction. The notion of distant presence highlights how digital technology can support care work by enabling presence at a distance: Reducing disturbances and increasing efficiency. At the same time, it captures how digital tools may undermine ethical care when alarms introduce the distant into the present-competing with patients for attention-or when plans fail to adjust to the specific conditions of dementia care. All participants had worked in dementia care for several years, so the experiences of new care workers were not studied. The findings provide insights into the complexities of how digital tools can both support and obstruct care: By introducing distant presence, digital tools can simultaneously protect patients' integrity and create a false sense of safety.
While the negative experience of intensive care delirium has been established in adults, paediatric delirium (PD) is increasingly being recognized internationally. Knowledge, however, is still lacking regarding the experience of delirium in critically ill children. Therefore, we wish to provide insight into the subjective experience of delirium to better understand the children's perspective and enable the development of strategies to support children and their parents during and after the delirium episode. We aimed to describe the lived experience of delirium in a paediatric intensive care unit survivor. Our research question was: How does a child make sense of delirium after critical illness? We interviewed 16-year-old Eric 10 months after discharge from the intensive care unit, using Frank's narrative theory to analyse Eric's narrative and performing thematic analysis to further interpret his experiences. We identified Eric's story as a Quest narrative. According to Frank's theory, Eric uses his narrative to understand his experiences and perhaps to help others. We identified the following themes: Being lost, being pursued, being paralysed, and being back. During delirium, Eric lost control of reality during delusions and hallucinations. He experienced being pursued, being paralysed, and finally regaining his sense of reality. After discharge, Eric told and retold his story to his mother. Together, they developed a version of the story that was used to develop strategies to deal with delirium in the event of future admissions. Similarly to adults, children experience the distress of delusions and hallucinations during ICU delirium. The adolescent in our case was able to reflect on and suggest explanations for his delusional experiences. Mother and child prepared strategies to manage delirium during future admissions.
Dignity care for older adults in China is gradually advancing, but there remains a lack of appropriate assessment tools. This study aimed to translate the 18-item Jacelon Attributed Dignity Scale into Chinese and evaluate its reliability and validity. The original English version of the Jacelon Attributed Dignity Scale was translated into Chinese following Brislin's translation procedure. A convenience sample of 200 Chinese older adults was recruited. Item screening, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, construct validity and convergent validity were examined to establish the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the scale. The Cronbach's α coefficient and test-retest correlation of the Chinese version of the Jacelon Attributed Dignity Scale were 0.959 and 0.891, respectively. The content validity index was 0.972. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor model (χ2/df = 2.431, p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.932; root mean square error of approximation = 0.085; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.920; standardised root mean square residual = 0.048). The scale demonstrated adequate reliability and convergent validity, as indicated by acceptable values of composite reliability (CR = 0.800-0.924) and average variance extracted (AVE = 0.515-0.710). The Chinese version of the Jacelon Attributed Dignity Scale exhibits good reliability and validity and can be utilised to assess the dignity of Chinese older adults.
Family involvement in the intensive care unit (ICU) is recognized as important, yet its implementation is complex and varies across contexts, including Scandinavian settings. This integrative review aimed to synthesize and integrate the evidence on family involvement in Scandinavian ICUs across the perspectives of family members, patients, and healthcare professionals. Findings are presented thematically rather than by perspective to capture shared and contrasting dimensions within overarching concepts. An integrative review was conducted following Whittemore and Knafl's framework. A systematic search was conducted in five databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL) covering January 2010-October 2023, with an update in January 2025. A systematic search strategy was applied, and reporting adhered to PRISMA guidelines. Peer-reviewed studies published between 2013 and 2024 in English, Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian were included. Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria: nine qualitative (including one case-oriented) and five cross-sectional surveys. The review highlights the critical role of family involvement in the ICU, emphasizing its positive impact on patient care and family wellbeing. Active participation by family members provides both practical assistance and emotional support, fostering a patient-centred approach that improves patient outcomes. However, integrating families into care also presents significant challenges. Healthcare professionals' attitudes and behaviours, along with institutional policies and resource limitations, strongly influence the experience of family involvement. Families often face emotional stress and uncertainty, which can affect their engagement and lead to varying levels of participation. These findings underscore the need for strategies that balance collaboration with sensitivity to contextual and individual factors. Family involvement in Scandinavian ICUs is a complex, context-dependent phenomenon shaped by relational, emotional, and organizational factors. It requires healthcare teams to balance challenges with the benefits for patients and families.
For patients with a recurring and elusive heart disorder, participation is challenging because of the need for care across the healthcare system. This paper describes how patients with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) experience participation in their healthcare encounters. A descriptive phenomenological design in line with the reflective lifeworld research approach was used. Interviews were conducted with 17 patients, and the analysis was carried out to analyse participation as it evolved from the initial healthcare encounter through various phases of illness and treatment. Patient participation in the context of SVT is commonly experienced as limited, inconsistent, and fragmented. These shortcomings contributed to feelings of existential insecurity and led patients to repeatedly seek care. Patients described a lack of continuity, passive or dismissive responses from healthcare professionals, and not being taken seriously-factors that increased their vulnerability and disrupted daily life. Overall, the findings underscore the need to recognise patients' lived experiences and to support their active involvement in diagnostic processes and treatment decisions. Patients with SVT continue to face challenges in participation in their care due to fragmented care pathways and repeated encounters with multiple healthcare providers. The study underscores the importance of validating intermittent symptoms, providing clear information, and ensuring continuity to support meaningful participation. Improved education for healthcare professionals-focusing on trust-building, communication, and managing uncertainty-is essential. Further research should develop and evaluate interventions that enhance trust and address the informational and existential dimensions of living with SVT.
The global increase in public health problems has highlighted the need to understand how health counselling can support individuals more effectively. Exploring how patients experience empowering approaches in nursing encounters is important for developing health counselling. This review aimed to synthesize findings related to the meaning of empowering encounters in nursing health counselling. The review followed a scoping review methodology based on Arksey and O'Malley. Data were collected from PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PsycArticles, covering the period from January 2000 to February 2024. Two authors independently selected the articles meeting the inclusion criteria, and the studies were screened using the Covidence software. Studies were assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Quality Assessment Checklist. An inductive content analysis process was used for data extraction and synthesis of the results. The search identified 1753 articles that were transferred to Covidence. Duplicate articles were excluded. A total of 1044 articles were screened based on their titles and abstracts. The selected studies (n = 18) addressed the research questions and met the inclusion criteria. The findings were categorized into three themes representing patients' perceptions of the meanings of empowering encounters: (1) confirming faith, (2) awakening hope and (3) caring communication. Empowering encounters play a significant role in successful nursing counselling. Encounters increase patient empowerment when they feel seen, listened to, and understood as individuals. Personnel should have sufficient time, continuity in nurse-patient relationships, and current knowledge. Patients need kindness, a positive attitude, support and encouragement. A good encounter empowers and strengthens faith, hope, and the ability to achieve well-being and health, which are central concepts in caritative caring, highlighting the importance of compassionate presence and holistic support.
Family members play a vital role in supporting patients during hospitalization, yet their involvement is often insufficiently recognized. Existing family assessment tools are typically developed for community or long-term care settings and are too complex or time-intensive for hospital use. A concise and feasible assessment framework is needed to facilitate the effective involvement of family members in patient care and to support healthcare professionals in acknowledging, aligning and collaborating with families during hospitalization. To develop, validate and evaluate the feasibility of a family assessment framework with relevance for use in hospital settings. A four-phase sequential study was conducted to develop and test a family assessment framework. The framework was informed by a review of existing tools, validated through a two-round Delphi study with international experts, refined in focus groups with family members and pilot-tested by nurses to assess feasibility. The family assessment framework includes essential discussion items at admission-such as family structure, functioning and needs-along with required professional attitudes, skills and contextual conditions. Experts and families confirmed its clarity and completeness. Nurses viewed it as a flexible, supportive conversation guide rather than a checklist. Its use enhanced recognition of caregiving roles and clarified mutual expectations. Implementation requires workflow adjustments, role definitions and attention to communication skills. The validated and feasible family assessment framework structures and facilitates family involvement in hospital care through essential discussion items between patients, family members and healthcare professionals, thereby improving the quality of care.
Due to an ongoing culture change, relocations from regular nursing homes to innovative living arrangements are increasing. This affects not only residents but also their family caregivers. The perspective of family caregivers regarding the relocation processes that occur within the context of culture change is understudied. Therefore, this study examines the experiences of family caregivers concerning the relocation of their relatives from a regular nursing home to an innovative living arrangement. A qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews, was performed in the Netherlands. Three nursing homes offering 24-h care that were planning a relocation from a regular nursing home to an innovative living arrangement were selected. Twenty-two family caregivers were included in the study. Interviews took place 2 weeks to a month after the relocation day. Four themes were constructed from the data: (1) Family caregivers took on an active role throughout the relocation process; (2) Family caregivers were concerned about the emotional impact of relocating on their relative; (3) Lack of communication with family caregivers during the relocation process; and (4) The challenges of implementing the culture change. This study emphasizes the need to provide practical support when preparing for the move. Emotional support, information provision and optimal communication are important to support family caregivers. Furthermore, family caregivers appear to be hesitant regarding the intended culture change. Therefore, it is important to create a sense of innovation readiness in both staff and family caregivers by informing and involving them.
To explore how patients and their relatives perceive and experience emergency care delivered at home by Mobile Emergency Teams (METs). An exploratory qualitative design was used to explore how patients and relatives experienced the care encounter. This approach was appropriate given the exploratory nature of the study. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (No: 2023-02186-01) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Participants provided informed consent, were assured of confidentiality, and were informed of their right to withdraw at any time. The study was conducted in southwestern Sweden and included 20 semi-structured interviews with patients (n = 11), relatives (n = 4), and joint patient-relative interviews (n = 5) who had recently received care from METs. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis. The analysis generated two overarching themes: Embraced by a calming environment and A sense of safety and security. Participants described METs' arrival as a turning point that brought calm and clarity to emotionally intense situations. The teams' respectful approach, clear communication and structured assessments contributed to emotional reassurance. Receiving care at home, in a familiar environment and in the presence of loved ones, supported participants' sense of dignity, autonomy and control. However, some participants expressed uncertainty about what would happen after METs' departure, indicating a need for improved follow-up and continuity of care. Findings are shaped by a specific Swedish context, joint interviews and purposive sampling, which may limit transferability. Emergency care at home was experienced as emotionally supportive and clinically competent. Attentiveness, clarity and a respectful presence were central to participants' sense of being thoroughly and considerately cared for.