Nursing Division, Speciality Nursing, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Office of Integrated Care, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Singapore Med J. 2019 Nov;60(11):575-582. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2019040. Epub 2019 May 2.
There is an increasing reliance on informal caregivers to continue the care of patients after discharge. This is a huge responsibility for caregivers and some may feel unprepared for the role. Without adequate support and understanding regarding their needs, patient care may be impeded. This study aimed to identify the needs valued by caregivers and if there was agreement between acute care nurses and caregivers in the perception of whether caregiver needs were being met.
We conducted face-to-face interviews with 100 pairs of acute care nurses and caregivers. Participants were recruited from inpatient wards through convenience sampling. Questionnaires included demographic data of nurses and caregivers, patients' activities of daily living, and perception of caregiver needs being met in six domains of care. Independent t-test was used to compare mean values in each domain, and intraclass correlation coefficient was used to compare agreement in perception.
Caregivers valued reassurance the most. Three domains of care needs showed significant differences in perception of caregiver needs being met:reassurance (p = 0.002), honesty and timeliness (p = 0.008), and kindness and genuine care (p = 0.026). There was poor agreement in all six domains of caregiver needs being met between nurses and caregivers.
Although caregivers valued reassurance the most, there was poor agreement between acute care nurses and caregivers in the perception of caregiver needs being met. Hence, more attention should be paid to the caregiver's needs. Further studies can examine reasons for unmet caregiver needs and interventions to improve support for them.
越来越依赖非正式护理人员在患者出院后继续护理。这对护理人员来说是一项巨大的责任，有些人可能对这个角色没有准备。如果没有充分的支持和理解他们的需求，患者的护理可能会受到阻碍。本研究旨在确定护理人员重视的需求，以及急性护理护士和护理人员在护理人员需求是否得到满足的看法上是否存在一致性。
我们对 100 对急性护理护士和护理人员进行了面对面的访谈。参与者通过便利抽样从住院病房招募。问卷包括护士和护理人员的人口统计学数据、患者的日常生活活动以及对护理人员在六个护理领域的需求得到满足的看法。采用独立 t 检验比较每个领域的平均值，采用组内相关系数比较感知方面的一致性。
护理人员最重视安慰。有三个护理需求领域在护理人员需求得到满足的感知方面存在显著差异：安慰（p = 0.002）、诚实和及时性（p = 0.008）以及善良和真诚的关怀（p = 0.026）。在护士和护理人员对护理人员需求得到满足的六个领域中，意见一致程度均较差。
尽管护理人员最重视安慰，但急性护理护士和护理人员在护理人员需求得到满足的看法上存在分歧。因此，应该更加关注护理人员的需求。进一步的研究可以探讨未满足的护理人员需求的原因和改善对他们的支持的干预措施。
