Browsing by Author "Phiri, Patrick GMC"

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    Registered nurses lived experiences on family involvement in the care of hospitalised children at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi
    (2015-07-01) Phiri, Patrick GMC
    Family involvement entails that care is planned around the family and the hospitalised child. Families need to be involved because they are custodians of valuable information for provision of care. QECH is the main referral hospital which provides specialised care to children across Malawi. Shortage of nurses is a chronic health problem at this hospital. The average nurse-patient ratio in paediatric unit is ratio is 1:84. This ratio is very high. However, nurses are expected to involve families in child care. Evidence shows that nurses’ experiences about family involvement are key factors in the way care is delivered. Little is known about nurses’ experiences on family involvement in the care of hospitalised children at QECH in Malawi. The objective of the study was to describe registered nurses experiences when involving families in the care of hospitalised children at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. A descriptive qualitative design using semi structured interview guide was used. Data was collected from 14 full time registered nurses at QECH and analysed using thematic content analysis. Six themes emerged from the data: Rationale for family involvement, nurses’ experiences on family involvement, power and control, factors influencing nurses’ efforts on family involvement, core concepts of family centred care, factors influencing nurses’ efforts on family involvement and nurses’ impression with family involvement. The findings of this study are consistent with those from western countries and show that registered nurses are knowledgeable on family involvement and their experiences are mixed but are constrained by socio-cultural and institutional factors. These factors should be subjected to further research because their implications may be greater than perceived. The findings support the notion implementation of family involvement is inconsistent. This status quo may continue unless authorities provide support in form of human and material resources and develop a policy.