Schuler Christina, Agbozo Faith, Bansah Emmanuel, Owusu Richard, Ntow George Edward, Preusse-Bleuler Barbara, Pfister Riccardo E
Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, University Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Institute of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Aug 4;44(1):277. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-01001-2.
The high social and emotional burden on families with small or sick newborns necessitates family-focused care. Positive attitudes towards family involvement and skilled healthcare providers are crucial for improving the health and well-being of small/sick newborns and their families. While family systems care (FSC) has been explored and implemented in high-income countries, it is rarely reported in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to assess knowledge, attitudes and skills of healthcare providers on FSC and the family care practices, interactions, and reciprocity in the provider-family relationship throughout the care continuum of sick/small infants and their families.
A cross-sectional survey involved healthcare providers offering maternal and newborn care at secondary and primary-level facilities. Participants were sampled from one secondary-level hospital and 13 primary health facilities in the Hohoe Municipality of Ghana. The survey instruments included the standardized and validated instruments ‘Family Importance in Care - Nurses’ attitudes’ (FINC-NA) and ‘Family Nursing Practice Scale’ (FNPS), which measure healthcare providers’ attitudes and skills in working with families, alongside four open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while answers to open-text components were categorized thematically.
Overall, 143 healthcare providers, comprising nurses, midwives and physicians, participated in the study. The median score of FINC-NA was 93 (83–99), while the FNPS was 30 (24–35). Most healthcare providers had a positive attitude towards family involvement in care, whereas practice skills were moderate. From the open-ended questions, care providers’ perceptions and actions in relation to family care practices were communication difficulties, intra-family challenges and confidentiality concerns. They also reported reduced workload, stronger healthcare provider-family relationship and improved quality of care through increased family collaboration and support.
Overall, healthcare providers valued family involvement in the care but had only moderate skills in working with them. Advocacy for the inclusion of family systems care in healthcare education, in-service training and policy development in Ghana is warranted. This will support healthcare providers to deliver high-quality care to families with small or sick newborns from pregnancy to post-discharge.
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41043-025-01001-2.
患有疾病或早产的新生儿给家庭带来了沉重的社会和情感负担，因此需要以家庭为中心的护理。对家庭参与持积极态度以及拥有专业的医疗服务提供者对于改善患病或早产新生儿及其家庭的健康和福祉至关重要。虽然家庭系统护理（FSC）已在高收入国家得到探索和实施，但在低收入和中等收入国家却鲜有报道。本研究旨在评估医疗服务提供者对家庭系统护理的知识、态度和技能，以及在患病/早产婴儿及其家庭的整个护理过程中，医疗服务提供者与家庭之间的护理实践、互动和互惠情况。
一项横断面调查涉及在二级和基层医疗机构提供孕产妇和新生儿护理的医疗服务提供者。参与者来自加纳霍霍埃市的一家二级医院和13个初级卫生机构。调查工具包括经过标准化和验证的“护理中家庭的重要性——护士态度”（FINC-NA）和“家庭护理实践量表”（FNPS），用于衡量医疗服务提供者与家庭合作的态度和技能，同时还包括四个开放式问题。定量数据采用描述性统计进行分析，而对开放式文本部分的回答则按主题进行分类。
共有143名医疗服务提供者参与了该研究，包括护士、助产士和医生。FINC-NA的中位数分数为93（83-99），FNPS为30（24-35）。大多数医疗服务提供者对家庭参与护理持积极态度，而实践技能中等。从开放式问题中可以看出，护理提供者在家庭护理实践方面的认知和行动存在沟通困难、家庭内部挑战和保密问题。他们还报告说，通过加强家庭合作和支持，工作量减少了，医疗服务提供者与家庭的关系更紧密了，护理质量也提高了。
总体而言，医疗服务提供者重视家庭参与护理，但与家庭合作的技能仅处于中等水平。在加纳，有必要倡导将家庭系统护理纳入健康教育、在职培训和政策制定中。这将支持医疗服务提供者为患有疾病或早产新生儿的家庭从孕期到出院后提供高质量的护理。
在线版本包含可在10.1186/s41043-025-01001-2获取的补充材料。
