Family Members’ Experiences with the Healthcare Professionals in Nursing Homes – A Survey Study

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate family members' experiences of the healthcare professionals' approach and feeling of alienation in nursing homes. Methods: This study had a cross-sectional design collecting data from seven nursing homes in Sweden using the Family Involvement and Alienation Questionnaire--Revised (FIAQ-R). The final sample consisted 133 family members (response rate 42.6%). Data were analyzed with a variety of rank-based, non-parametric statistical methods. Results: Family members in general experienced a positive approach from the healthcare professionals and considered that as being of the very highest importance. This could be explained by the skewed sociodemographic characteristics of the sample. The concept of continuity generated the most comments of a negative character indicating the importance of organizational factors in nursing homes. Conclusion: The results indicate the need to improve continuity in the care of older persons in nursing homes by limiting the amount of different health care professionals surrounding the older person. Also, it highlights the importance of having a specific contact person assigned to each older person living in nursing homes. Keywords: family member, health care professional, FIAQ, nursing home, approach, alienation