Andersen Lene Holst, Løfgren Bo, Skipper Mads, Krogh Kristian, Jensen Rune Dall
Department of Internal Medicine, Randers Regional Hospital, Skovlyvej 15, 8930, Randers, NE, Denmark.
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Oct;15(5):1383-1392. doi: 10.1007/s41999-024-01043-5. Epub 2024 Sep 4.
Skilful communication prompts quality patient care. Informal caregivers occupy a crucial role when caring for hospitalised older patients living with frailty. However, skilful communication with both patients and informal caregivers during ward rounds has not been studied. Thus, we aimed to explore communication preferences of patients and informal caregivers during ward rounds.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with hospitalized patients and informal caregivers until information redundancy occurred. We used inductive coding of the transcribed interviews followed by a reflexive thematic analysis.
The study included 15 patients and 15 informal caregivers. Patients had a median age of 85 years (range 75-100 years) and seven patients were females. Informal caregivers' median age were 45 years (range 38-80 years) and 13 were females. Three themes were generated: (1) building relationships and conveying information, (2) alleviating informal caregiver strain and (3) sharing the decision-making process. Themes highlighted the importance of collaborative and empathetic approaches in healthcare interactions, emphasizing interpersonal communication skills, such as fostering professional relationships. The interviews unveiled informal caregiver burden stemming from disempowerment during hospital discharge process and managing mistrust within the healthcare system. The shared decision-making process should address patients' and informal caregivers' needs and circumstances.
Communication preferences of a population of older patients living with frailty and informal caregivers during ward rounds encompass interpersonal communication, demonstrating ample time, and being seen as a human being. Informal caregivers value being included in the decision-making process. Skilful communication includes for doctors to recognize informal caregivers' narratives and burdens.
有效的沟通有助于提供高质量的患者护理。在照顾住院的体弱老年患者时，非正式护理人员起着至关重要的作用。然而，在查房期间与患者和非正式护理人员进行有效沟通的情况尚未得到研究。因此，我们旨在探讨查房期间患者和非正式护理人员的沟通偏好。
我们对住院患者和非正式护理人员进行了半结构化访谈，直至出现信息冗余。我们对访谈记录进行归纳编码，然后进行反思性主题分析。
该研究纳入了15名患者和15名非正式护理人员。患者的年龄中位数为85岁（范围75 - 100岁），7名患者为女性。非正式护理人员的年龄中位数为45岁（范围38 - 80岁），13名是女性。产生了三个主题：（1）建立关系和传达信息，（2）减轻非正式护理人员的压力，（3）共享决策过程。这些主题强调了在医疗互动中采用协作和共情方法的重要性，强调了人际沟通技巧，如建立专业关系。访谈揭示了非正式护理人员在出院过程中因无权而产生的负担以及应对医疗系统内的不信任问题。共享决策过程应考虑患者和非正式护理人员的需求及情况。
体弱老年患者群体和非正式护理人员在查房期间的沟通偏好包括人际沟通、有充足时间以及被视为有血有肉的个体。非正式护理人员重视参与决策过程。有效的沟通包括医生认可非正式护理人员的叙述和负担。
