Department of Nursing, Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Department of Nursing Management, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
PLoS One. 2023 Sep 20;18(9):e0280698. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280698. eCollection 2023.
Heart failure (HF) continues to be a global health problem with its ramifications more pronounced in underdeveloped countries. Family members play a pivotal part in patient management which may influence the patient's overall quality of life. Prolonged delay in attendance to health care facilities among patients indicates ineffective support from family caregivers. In the Tanzanian context, there is limited information about the experiences of family caregivers in caring for patients with HF. This study explored family caregivers' experiences in caring for HF patients.
A qualitative descriptive study design was conducted at Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the potential participants. A sample size of 10 family caregivers of patients with HF was included in the study. Thematic analysis was used to derive the main theme and sub-themes.
Three major themes were identified: demands for supportive care, new caring role and lifestyle, and professional support in caring for patients with HF. Caregivers needed social and financial support to facilitate the caring process. Learning to provide the required care at the right time was the new role acquired by caregivers while failing to participate in social events and caregiving in an unfavourable environment were reported as challenges in caregiving. However, compliance with instruction and effective interaction among the nurses and caregivers were considered to be positive professional support.
Caregivers need social and financial support to provide effective care to their patients. Caregiving is a learning process that needs continuous educational support to adapt to the new caring roles and challenges. Nurses should conduct regular assessments to explore caregivers' needs, challenges, and concerns and provide timely counselling that can facilitate coping.
心力衰竭（HF）仍然是一个全球性的健康问题，在欠发达国家的影响更为明显。家庭成员在患者管理中起着关键作用，这可能会影响患者的整体生活质量。患者长时间延迟到医疗机构就诊表明他们没有得到家庭成员的有效支持。在坦桑尼亚，关于家庭成员照顾 HF 患者的经验的信息有限。本研究探讨了家庭照顾者照顾 HF 患者的经验。
本研究在坦桑尼亚达累斯萨拉姆的 Jakaya Kikwete 心脏研究所进行了一项定性描述性研究设计。采用目的抽样技术选择潜在参与者。本研究纳入了 10 名 HF 患者的家庭照顾者。采用主题分析得出主要主题和子主题。
确定了三个主要主题：对支持性护理的需求、新的照顾角色和生活方式，以及照顾 HF 患者的专业支持。照顾者需要社会和经济支持来促进照顾过程。学会在适当的时间提供所需的护理是照顾者获得的新角色，而无法参与社交活动和在不利的环境中照顾则被报告为照顾中的挑战。然而，遵守医嘱和护士与照顾者之间的有效互动被认为是积极的专业支持。
照顾者需要社会和经济支持来为患者提供有效的护理。照顾是一个学习过程，需要持续的教育支持以适应新的照顾角色和挑战。护士应定期评估以了解照顾者的需求、挑战和关注点，并提供及时的咨询，以促进应对。
