Balancing Family and Ethics: An Exploration of Family Centred Care in UK Inpatient Wards
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 招募中
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 30
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Themes Describing Experiences and Perceptions of Family Involvement in Inpatient Care
研究概览
简要总结
This qualitative study will explore how family-centred care is understood and experienced in adult inpatient medical wards in the UK. Family-centred care involves including a patient's family in care and discussions where appropriate. Although family involvement can improve communication, emotional support and shared decision-making, it may also create ethical challenges where family wishes differ from the patient's preferences or clinical judgement.
The study will recruit 30 adults at Milton Keynes University Hospital: 10 patients admitted to an internal medicine ward, 10 family members of patients admitted to an internal medicine ward and 10 registered nurses working on an internal medicine ward. Each participant will take part in one semi-structured interview lasting approximately 30-60 minutes, conducted face to face, by telephone or by video call.
The study is based on the expectation that patients, family members and nurses may experience family involvement differently, and that cultural values may influence how family-centred care is applied in practice. The interviews will explore issues including privacy, informed consent, patient autonomy and decision-making. The UK findings will also be compared with findings from an identical study being conducted in Israel to examine how cultural and value-based contexts may affect family involvement in hospital care.
The findings may help identify practical communication approaches for delivering culturally sensitive family-centred care while protecting patients' rights and supporting nurses' professional responsibilities.
详细描述
The observational study model is a cross-sectional, multi-perspective qualitative interview design involving patients, family members and registered nurses.
This is a single-centre, multi-perspective qualitative study examining how family-centred care is understood and implemented in adult internal medicine wards at Milton Keynes University Hospital. The study focuses on the ethical and cultural tensions that may arise when family involvement intersects with patient autonomy, privacy, informed consent, clinical judgement and nurses' professional responsibilities under the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code.
A purposive sampling approach will be used to obtain perspectives from patients, family members and registered nurses. Data will be collected through individual semi-structured interviews conducted face to face, by telephone or by video call, according to participant preference. The interview guide will use open-ended questions informed by the literature, subject-matter expertise and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement. Interviews will be audio-recorded with consent and transcribed verbatim.
Interview data will be analysed thematically using the Braun and Clarke framework. The analysis will follow an inductive and constructivist approach and will include familiarisation with the data, coding, development and review of themes, and definition of the final thematic structure. This approach is intended to capture differences and similarities between the perspectives of patients, relatives and nurses and to identify recurring ethical, cultural and practical issues associated with family involvement in inpatient care.
Audio recordings and transcripts will be handled in accordance with Milton Keynes University Hospital data protection and research governance requirements. Transcripts will be anonymised, and names, wards, departments, places of work and other potentially identifying details will be removed or changed where possible. Identifiable information will be stored separately from research data on secure NHS systems. Audio recordings will be deleted at the end of the study.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Observational
- 观察模型
- Other
- 时间视角
- Cross Sectional
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •- 18 years or older
- •Role: Must fall into one of the following categories:
- •A patient admitted to an internal medicine ward
- •A family member of a patient admitted to an internal medicine ward
- •A registered nurse working on an internal medicine ward
- •- Able and willing to provide informed consent
排除标准
- •Are under 18 years of age
- •Are unable to provide informed consent
- •Are unable to participate in study interviews (e.g., due to cognitive, linguistic, or medical limitations)
结局指标
主要结局
Themes Describing Experiences and Perceptions of Family Involvement in Inpatient Care
时间窗: At the participant's single study interview following enrolment. The interview timing relative to the relevant inpatient episode is not prespecified.
Semi-structured interview transcripts will be analysed thematically using the Braun and Clarke framework. Themes and subthemes will describe how patients, family members and registered nurses perceive and experience family involvement in inpatient care, including the family's role, the perceived benefits and challenges of involvement, involvement in care and decision-making, and responses from nursing staff. This is a qualitative outcome and no numerical scale or score will be used.
次要结局
- Themes Describing Ethical Tensions Associated With Family Involvement in Inpatient Care(At the participant's single study interview following enrolment. The interview timing relative to the relevant inpatient episode is not prespecified.)
- Themes Describing Cultural Influences on Expectations of Family Involvement(At the participant's single study interview following enrolment. The interview timing relative to the relevant inpatient episode is not prespecified.)
- Themes Describing Nursing Communication and Management of Family Involvement(At the participant's single study interview following enrolment. The interview timing relative to the relevant inpatient episode is not prespecified.)