Responses after participating in Family Health Conversations in families with a family member who has suffered a stroke: A mixed methods research study

Abstract

Background: It has been proposed that support for families in which a family member has suffered a stroke should involve the whole family system.
Aim: The aim was to evaluate the responses of Family Health Conversation (FamHC) in families with a member under the age of 65 who has been diagnosed with stroke.
Methods: In this mixed methods research study, families were included in an intervention group and in a control group. For both groups pre- and post-intervention quantitative data was collected and for the intervention group, qualitative data was collected post-intervention. Underlying theoretical propositions and the two data sets were then integrated.
Results: Family health measured as “the general atmosphere of the interaction of the family” had improved in the intervention group when compared to the control group. The intervention families, moreover, described how they had become more cooperative, their communication had improved, they had become more confident with their situation and also when planning for the future when comparing to before the FamHC.
Conclusions: Based on the empirical results supporting the theoretical proposition underlying FamHC, we conclude that it works as intended, and the evidence for the theoretical proposition is thereby strengthened. This paper contributes to the scientific evidence concerning FamHC. With the available evidence, RNs are suggested to consider changing practice so as to work in a more family-centred way to support families living with ill-health. Implementing FamHC can be one way of undertaking such supportive work.