Family Participation in Ghana Hospital Care

Michele van Vugt170 enrolled

Overview

This mixed methods study aims to understand family care participation in the adult medicine wards of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana. The main questions it aims to answer, from the perspective of the patient, family caregiver, nurse, doctor, ward assistant, and hospital administrator, are: 1. What is the role of the family caregiver in hospital care? 2. What is the perceived effect of family participation in hospital care? 3. What are the barriers and facilitators experienced in family participation? 4. What are suggestions for family participation interventions? These questions will be answered with three study arms: 1. A prospective observational cohort (population: patients and family caregivers) 2. A time and motion study (population: nurses and doctors) 3. Interviews and focus group discussions (population: patients, family caregivers, nurses, doctors, ward assistants, and hospital administrators)

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

170

Conditions

Hospitalized Patients

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Prospective Observational Cohort * Inclusion Criteria * Population * Patient: Admitted to the ward (in-patient) * Family caregiver: caregiver providing care at the bedside of the patient on the ward * Environment: Admitted to a medicine ward of KBTH * Admission time: Admitted in the last 48 hours * Adult: ≥18 years * Exclusion criteria * Admission time: Planned discharge or transfer within the first 24 hours of admission * Child: \<18 years * Previously enrolled in this study arm * No consent given Time and Motion * Inclusion Criteria * Population: Nurses and doctors * Environment: Working in a medicine wards of KBTH * Exclusion Criteria * Population: \<6 months of work experience on a medicine ward of KBTH * Previously enrolled in this study arm * No consent given Qualitative (interviews and focus group discussions) * Inclusion Criteria * Population * Patient: Admitted to the ward (in-patient) * Family caregiver: Caregiver providing care at the bedside of the patient on the ward * Health workers: Nurses, doctors and ward assistants * Hospital administrator: Managers and professors * Environment * Patient: Admitted to a medicine ward of KBTH * Family caregiver: Caring for their relative on a medicine ward of KBTH * Health worker: Working on a ward medicine of KBTH * Hospital administrator: Responsible for care delivery of a medicine ward of KBTH * Exclusion Criteria * Population * Patient: Unconscious or unable to participate in a conversation * Family caregiver: Unable to leave the patient for reasons of safety * Health worker: \<6 months of work experience on a medicine ward of KBTH * Hospital administrator: \<6 months in a management role of a medicine ward of KBTH * Admission time * Patient: Admitted \<48 hours * Child: \<18 years * Previously enrolled in this study arm * No consent given

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

The role of family participation in hospital care

The role of family participation will be described with data from: 1. Prospective observational cohort: patient baseline characteristics, family caregiver baseline characteristics, care characteristics during follow-up (for example: tasks performed, number of caregivers present, hours caregiver is present), end of follow-up status (example: discharged, transferred, death). 2. Interviews and FDG: with patients, family caregivers, nurses, doctors, ward assistants, and hospital administrators.

Time frame: During admission to the general medicine ward

The perceived effect of family participation in hospital care

The perceived effect of family participation will be described with data from: 1. Time and motion: division of work time of nurses and doctors, time spend interacting with patients and family caregivers. 2. Interviews and FDG: with patients, family caregivers, nurses, doctors, ward assistants, and hospital administrators.

Time frame: During admission to the general medicine ward

The barriers and facilitators of family participation in hospital care

The barriers and facilitators of family participation will be described with data from: 1. Prospective observational cohort: patient baseline characteristics, family caregiver baseline characteristics, care characteristics during follow-up (for example: tasks performed, number of caregivers present, hours caregiver is present), end of follow-up status (example: discharged, transferred, death). 2. Time and motion: division of work time of nurses and doctors, time spend interacting with patients and family caregivers. 3. Interviews and FDG: with patients, family caregivers, nurses, doctors, ward assistants, and hospital administrators.

Time frame: During admission to the general medicine ward

The intervention suggestions for family participation in hospital care

The barriers and facilitators of family participation will be described with data from: 1\. Interviews and FDG: with patients, family caregivers, nurses, doctors, ward assistants, and hospital administrators.

Time frame: During admission to the general medicine ward

Family Participation in Ghana Hospital Care

Overview

Conditions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes