Concept analysis of family+health = a new definition of family health

Being invigorated in parenthood: parents' experiences of being supported by professionals when having a disabled child

The purpose of the study was to know the meaning of parents' experiences of being supported by professionals when having a child with disability. Data were obtained through unstructured interviews with 16 parents within 10 families and analyzed by a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Parents narrated experiences of being supported and not being supported, and the findings are presented as contrasting meanings. Being supported by professionals means gaining confidence as a parent and having the child seen as valuable. This is interpreted as being invigorated in parenthood, where sharing the mutual task and goal, which is the child's best, with professionals is a crucial aspect. The meaning of experiences of lack of support illuminates the consequences for the entire family's well-being and the struggle parents experience to gain confidence as parents and recognition of the child as valuable.

A framework for care during the stroke experience

This article describes a model we developed to guide the selection and design of nursing activities that will facilitate the health of persons with stroke and their families. Care in the context of stroke has been structured by the medical model's focus on functional ability. As a result, nursing is viewed as ancillary to other professions; yet, studies of the stroke experience from the patient's view suggest that distinctive nursing interventions are needed. Current models of illness do not sufficiently address the nature of stroke and thus cannot serve as a framework for nursing care. Our model conceptualizes stroke as a progressive, holistic experience with physiological, psychological, and social dimensions. It was developed from a synthesis of research articles identified through searches of CINAHL, MEDLINE, and PSYCHLIT (1980-1999) indexes using the terms "stroke," "stress," "coping," "chronic illness," and "transitions and growth" and from our clinical experiences. Our research established that the stroke experience involves the deterioration of the whole person and the development of a new person through discovery and resynthesis. Each of these processes progressively dominates the experience and together they form a three-phase model. This model of the stroke experience suggests that nursing care should focus initially on limiting deterioration and then concentrate on facilitating growth. Selection of specific interventions requires an understanding of the uniqueness of each stroke experience, as well as the commonalities, among these experiences.

Family nursing in intensive care. Part One: Is family nursing appropriate in intensive care?

Over the past 10 years there has been a growing body of literature on family nursing. Although the term 'family nursing' is not one which is in common use in the UK, a significant amount of literature has appeared which discusses issues relating to the nursing support of families with a member who is ill. This paper will review the concepts involved and will then discuss the appropriateness of such an approach within the specialty of intensive care. As the paper concludes that family nursing could be an appropriate approach to nursing the patient in this type of area, it would seem logical to consider what needs the family may have. The research concerning the identification of the needs of families when they have a member in intensive care is discussed in part two.

The FAMTOOL family health assessment tool

The purpose of this study was to design and validate a family health assessment tool (FAMTOOL) based on a concept analysis of family and health. Preliminary testing of this instrument by a convenience sample of 80 adults resulted in an internal consistency coefficient of .90. A retest 2 weeks later produced a stability coefficient of .96. The FAMTOOL provides rehabilitation nurses with a quick, positive assessment instrument for helping patients and their family members assess their own family's health, compare responses with each other, and see strengths they might not have considered otherwise. As the family health system should be included in the initial assessment of everyone entering the healthcare system, the FAMTOOL may prove helpful to nurses in a wide variety of primary, secondary, and tertiary settings.