Ponta Delgada Nursing School, University of the Azores, Azores.
J Clin Nurs. 2011 Sep;20(17-18):2448-57. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03644.x. Epub 2011 Jun 15.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experience of individuals taking on the role of informal adult caregivers after an unexpected event involving a relative.
The literature on the development of the role of informal caregivers widely recognises that protecting and promoting the quality of life of caregivers should be a priority for health professionals. However, knowledge about how individuals develop as sudden caregivers is scarce, with existing knowledge centring mainly on the physical aspects of caregiving. What it means to become a caregiver or to experience role redefinition remains largely unclear.
Hermeneutic phenomenology provided the framework that guided this study.
Unstructured interviews were used for collecting data. We used Van Manen's approach to analyse data and to reveal themes. Reflexivity and collaborative analysis were used to address rigour.
From caregivers' interviews (n = 14), four main themes were identified: losing control over time, feeling alone, failing expectations and taking over someone else's life.
The caregiving experience is characterised as a transition process or a period of ongoing focussing and de-focussing. The extent to which caregivers feel connected with others, redefine their personal use of time and feel comfortable with their new responsibilities indicates how they are managing this transition and how well they are achieving balance in their new role, i.e. from feeling 'exclusively' a caregiver to being 'also' a caregiver.
Facilitating successful transitions is within the scope of the role of professional nurses. Information about the meaning that caregivers attribute to their experience - relationships, options and strategies - is crucial, as it will help nurses to plan, assess and design adequate nursing interventions to support informal caregivers, especially in unexpected situations.
本定性研究旨在理解个体在经历涉及亲属的意外事件后，承担非正式成年照顾者角色的生活体验。
关于非正式照顾者角色发展的文献广泛认识到，保护和促进照顾者的生活质量应成为卫生专业人员的优先事项。然而，关于个体如何突然成为照顾者的知识有限，现有知识主要集中在照顾的身体方面。成为照顾者或经历角色重新定义意味着什么，在很大程度上仍不清楚。
解释学现象学为这项研究提供了框架。
非结构化访谈用于收集数据。我们使用范马南的方法来分析数据并揭示主题。反思和协作分析用于解决严谨性问题。
从照顾者的访谈（n=14）中，确定了四个主要主题：随着时间的推移失去控制、感到孤独、未能达到期望和接管他人的生活。
照顾体验的特点是过渡过程或持续聚焦和去聚焦的时期。照顾者与他人的联系程度、重新定义个人时间利用方式以及对新责任的舒适程度，表明他们如何管理这种过渡以及他们在新角色中实现平衡的程度，即从感觉“专门”是照顾者到“也”是照顾者。
促进成功过渡是专业护士角色范围内的事情。了解照顾者赋予其体验的意义——关系、选择和策略——至关重要，因为这将帮助护士规划、评估和设计适当的护理干预措施，以支持非正式照顾者，特别是在意外情况下。
