Translation and Psychometric Validation of the German Version of the Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire (ICE-FPSQ): A Cross-Sectional Study.

Supporting families experiencing critical illness through family interventions is essential to ease illness burden, enable family management, and reduce their risk for adverse health. Thus far, there is no validated German instrument to measure the perceived support families receive from nurses. We translated the 14-item Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire (ICE-FPSQ) and tested its psychometric properties with 77 family members of intensive care patients. Compared with the original instrument, the construct validity of the German ICE-FPSQ (FPSQ-G) showed unstable results with a partially divergent structure, most likely caused by the limited sample size. The first two principal components explained 61% of the overall variance and a good internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of .92. The FPSQ-G is a promising instrument to measure family members' perceptions of the support they received from nurses in the acute critical care setting but requires further validation.

Psychometric Testing of the Experience of Integrating Chronic Illness into Family Life Questionnaire.

Family members' experience of integrating chronic illnesses or chronic conditions into family life is valuable information for health care professionals, such as nurses, to understand, improve, and adjust the care provided to families of chronically ill patients. Furthermore, the assessment of the experience of integrating chronic illness into family life can support family nursing interventions and reduce suffering. This study aimed to adapt and psychometrically test a new Likert-type questionnaire on the experience of integrating pediatric chronic illness into family life (EICI-FLQ) in two European samples. A sample of 164 primary caregivers of children/adolescents with chronic illnesses/conditions in Iceland and another sample of 237 primary caregivers with children/adolescents with chronic illnesses/conditions in Portugal completed the online questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of the Icelandic sample yielded support for a one-factor solution with acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .866). Confirmatory factor analysis of the one-factor structure in the Portuguese sample indicated good model fit and similar internal reliability (Cronbach's α = .838). This instrument has good psychometric characteristics and is a promising tool for measuring the experience of integrating pediatric chronic illness into family life in clinical and research settings.

Rationale, Development, and Description of a Brief Family-Centered Service Provision Model for Addressing Children's Severe Behavior.

For families with children with autism that engage in severe behavior, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that functional assessment and management of environmental variables contributing to severe behavior occur prior to the prescription of psychopharmacologic treatment. Despite the inclusion of this recommendation in guidance articles published in pediatric journals for more than a decade, access to such services may not be feasible, in particular for families living in rural and geographically isolated communities. Given that families often view pediatricians as their first line of professional guidance for addressing challenges surrounding child development, the inaccessibility of appropriate services for managing healthcare is a concern for many pediatricians. To address this issue, a brief family-centered service provision model was developed through a collaboration between healthcare providers at a university-based hospital and Applied Behavior Analysis program faculty of the affiliated university. The hospital served many families living in rural areas of the state; therefore, the model utilized research-based practices with evidence of ecological validity for providing function-based assessment and treatment services. Within this manuscript we present a description of the model and its current implementation at a university-based hospital. For a data-based evaluation of the clinic and model, we refer readers to https://osf.io/qx8ak.

The Effect of FAmily-CEntered (FACE®) Pediatric Advanced Care Planning Intervention on Family Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial for Adolescents With HIV and Their Families.

Clinicians fear pediatric advance care planning (pACP) for adolescents is too distressing for families. Multisite longitudinal randomized controlled trial of adolescents with HIV tested the effect of FAmily-CEntered (FACE®) pACP intervention on families' anxiety and depression. One hundred five adolescent/family dyads were randomized to FACE® (n = 54 dyads) or control (n = 51 dyads). Families were 90% African American, 37% HIV-positive, and 22% less than high school educated. Families reported lower anxiety 3 months post-FACE® intervention than control (ß = -4.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [-8.20, -1.23], p = .008). Male family members were less anxious than female family members (ß = -4.55, 95% CI = [-6.96, -2.138], p ≤ .001). Family members living with HIV reported greater depressive symptoms than HIV-uninfected families (ß = 3.32, 95% CI = [0.254, 6.38], p = .034). Clinicians can be assured this structured, facilitated FACE® pACP model minimized family anxiety without increasing depressive symptoms. Adolescent/family dyads should be invited to have access to, and provision of, evidence-based pACP as part of patient-centered/family-supported care in the HIV continuum of care.

Effects of Implementing a Brief Family Nursing Intervention With Hospitalized Oncology Patients and Their Families in Germany: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Family nursing, based on the Calgary Family and Intervention Models, was implemented in a German oncological inpatient unit to promote effective family functioning in the context of cancer care. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of implementing family nursing care on several psychological and physical outcomes of patients and their family members. A quasi-experimental study with 214 patients with a cancer diagnosis and 122 family members was conducted. Findings indicate that the superiority of family nursing, when compared to traditional care, could not be confirmed with respect to patients' outcomes (psychological burden, social support, satisfaction with care) and family members' outcomes (psychological burden, physical complaints, satisfaction with care). Various factors, such as country-specific structures and challenges in implementing family nursing care on an inpatient unit, may have contributed to these findings. Further replication attempts in similar settings in other countries are needed to shed light on the factors impairing or promoting the implementation of family nursing in practice settings.

The Usefulness of Brief Family Health Conversations Offered to Families Following the Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.

Currently, there are few studies which examine targeted family-focused support when a family member is diagnosed with breast cancer. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore families' experiences of participating in a family nursing intervention identified as Brief Family Health Conversations (BFamHC) following the diagnosis of breast cancer. Semi-structured family interviews were conducted with nine families (including 29 family members) 2 weeks following the family-focused intervention of three sessions of BFamHC. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Families reported the BFamHC as positive and as a unique kind of family health conversation, one that afforded them the opportunity to communicate and share their experiences as a family group. A family conversation, even one as time-limited as BFamHC, offered a sense of relational sharing and togetherness, thus preventing feelings of isolation and vulnerability. Therapeutic family-focused conversations, such as BFamHC, hold promise as a useful family nursing intervention following the diagnosis of breast cancer.

A Multilevel Modeling Approach to Examine Incongruent Illness Appraisals in Family Care Dyads Over Time.

Over the past two decades, there has been movement toward a dyadic perspective of the illness experience. Although multilevel models have led to great insights into how dyads are affected by illness as family units, these models are still underutilized for understanding incongruent illness appraisals. Such incongruent appraisals can have implications for how the dyad collaborates to manage illness, the health of the dyad, and clinical outcomes. The focus of this article is to describe and promote the application of multilevel models to longitudinal dyadic data to understand incongruent illness appraisals over time. In particular, we present a data exemplar so researchers can apply these models to their own data and clinical questions to understand the ways care dyads converge and diverge in their appraisals and determine factors associated with such variability. We comment on the implications and extensions of these models for family nursing research and practice.

Missing the Mark: The Complexity of African American Dementia Family Caregiving.

Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRDs) have a significant impact on families. Family nurses are in an ideal position to address the needs of families affected by ADRD. However, to be most effective, family nurses and researchers need culturally appropriate theories to guide practice and research. On November 17, 2018, five nurse researchers presented findings of their research with African American families at the Gerontological Society of America's annual meeting. The results reported and the lively discussion that ensued suggested that the current paradigms framing research and practice with African American families affected by ADRD may not be adequate. There is a need to consider culturally congruent, family-centered theories to guide research and practice with this population of families.

A Theoretical Lens Through Which to View the Facilitators and Disruptors of Nurse-Promoted Engagement With Families in the ICU.

The theory of nurse-promoted engagement with families in the intensive care unit (ICU) was developed to describe the dynamic and complex interplay between factors that support or impair nurses' efforts to promote family engagement. Theory construction involved theory derivation and theory synthesis. Concepts and relationships from ecological theory, the Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, moral distress theory, and the healthy work environment framework informed the initial formation of the emerging theory. The synthesis of findings from the literature further expanded the scope of the relationships and propositions proposed in the theory. This middle-range theory can set direction for theory-informed focused nursing research that can advance the science of family nursing and guide ICU clinicians in overcoming challenges in family nursing practice. Recommendations are provided for applying this new theoretical lens to guide family nursing curriculum development, practice improvements, and policy changes to support nurses in promoting family engagement.

The Impact of Family Strengths Oriented Therapeutic Conversations on Parents of Children with a New Chronic Illness Diagnosis.

A growing number of families with children are dealing with a new diagnosis of chronic illnesses or health problems that are demanding. Nurses are in a prime position to provide support and empowerment to these families. The aim of the study was to evaluate the benefits of two sessions of a Family Strengths Oriented Therapeutic Conversation (FAM-SOTC) intervention, offered by advanced practice nurses (APNs) to mothers (N = 31) of children and adolescents in Iceland with newly diagnosed chronic illnesses/disorders. Families of children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), epilepsy, Type 1 diabetes (T1DM), or with sleep disturbance with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reported significantly higher family support, greater conviction about their illness beliefs, increased quality of life, and greater satisfaction with health care services after receiving two sessions of the FAM-SOTC intervention (Time 2) compared to before the intervention (Time 1). The findings emphasize the importance of the APN's role and family nursing expertise in supporting families of children with a new diagnosis of chronic illnesses or disorders who are in active treatment.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Testing of the Spanish Version of Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire.

The beliefs of nursing professionals who care for families experiencing illness are fundamental to the quality of the nurse-family relationship and the level of the nurse's involvement in the therapeutic process of Family Systems Nursing. It is essential to have valid and reliable instruments for assessing nurses' illness beliefs, especially in the Spanish context where no instruments have been identified to date. The Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire (ICE-HCP-IBQ) is a reliable and valid measure of professionals' beliefs about their understanding of the meaning of the illness experience of families. The purpose of this study was to adapt and psychometrically test the Spanish version of the ICE-HCP-IBQ (N = 249 nurses). The exploratory factor analysis showed one-factor solution with good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .91) and test-retest reliability (r = .72, p < .01). This questionnaire is a promising tool for mapping nurse's illness beliefs and monitoring the effectiveness of family nursing educational interventions in the Spanish context.

Advancing the Evidence Base of Pediatric Physical Therapy: "Sincerely, From the Heart".

PURPOSE: To share reflections on themes that have become important to me as a developing pediatric physical therapy researcher contributing to knowledge generation in our field. KEY POINTS: The themes are: select strong mentors, assemble a research team with diverse perspectives and strengths, be family-centered, be rigorous in approaches to study design to match the research question, mentor the next generation, and engage in knowledge translation and exchange. CONCLUSIONS: I encourage everyone to reflect on who has been or could be your mentors or mentees, and on how you can be a part of an effective, family-centered research team, by encouraging a breadth of research designs to answer the many research questions that remain and by assisting in the implementation of knowledge to practice. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Outcomes for children and families receiving pediatric physical therapy services are enhanced through the use of evidence-based knowledge.

An Educational Intervention Incorporating Digital Storytelling to Implement Family Nursing Practice in Acute Care Settings.

This project describes implementation of an educational intervention designed to initiate practice changes that support families and nurses during acute illness. An academic-practice partnership and digital storytelling methodology provided a foundation. A quasi-experimental research design included quantitative and qualitative measurement before and after the educational intervention. Themes identified in digital stories of nurse experiences caring for families provided direction for the educational intervention including the digital stories, empirical evidence, and proposed changes in nursing practice focused on families. Nurse participants (n = 160) in the educational intervention reported positive responses on a qualitative questionnaire. Comparing pretest and posttest results of the Family Nurse Practice Scale reflected positive, though not significant change. Family members (n = 49) reported significantly improved perceptions of support on 7 of the 14 items on the Iceland Perceived Family Support Questionnaire. This project highlighted digital storytelling's power to promote family interventions and move family nursing knowledge into practice.

Nurses' attitudes regarding the importance of families in nursing care: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate attitudes towards family involvement in care among a broad sample of Danish nurses from all sectors and healthcare settings. BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that nurses hold both supportive and less supportive attitudes about involvement of family members in the care of patients, and the existing findings are limited to specific healthcare contexts. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study adhering to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology for reporting observational studies. METHODS: Using snowball sampling, the Families' Importance in Nursing Care-Nurses' Attitudes questionnaire was initially administered to a broad, convenience sample of Danish registered nurses through social media: Facebook interest groups and the homepage of the Danish Family Nursing Association. These nurses were encouraged to send the invitation to participate in their network of nursing colleagues. Complete data sets from 1,720 nurses were available for analysis. RESULTS: In general, the nurses considered the family as important in patient care. Nurses who held master's and doctorate degrees scored significantly higher than nurses with a basic nursing education. Nurses who had had experience with illness within their own families tended to score higher on the family as a conversational partner subscale than those without this experience. Nurses with the longest engagement within hospital settings scored significantly lower than those with the longest engagement within primary health care and/or psychiatry. CONCLUSIONS: Families are considered important in nursing care. Younger nurses with a basic education, short-term engagement at a hospital and no experiences with illness within their own families were predictors of less supportive attitudes towards including the family in nursing care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Clinical leaders and managers should promote education on the importance of active family involvement in patient care in clinical practice and undergraduate education. More focus on collaboration with families in the hospital setting is needed.

Mothers' Experiences in the NICU Before Family-Centered Care and in NICUs Where It Is the Standard of Care.

BACKGROUND: Family-centered care (FCC) in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) was initiated in 1992 to promote a respectful response to individual family needs and support parental participation in care and decision-making for their infants. Although benefits of FCC have been reported, changes in the maternal experience in the NICU are unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare mothers' experiences in NICUs where FCC is the standard of care and to compare these with the experiences of mothers 2 decades ago. METHODS: In this qualitative descriptive design, mothers of infants born under 32 weeks postconceptional age were asked to describe their experiences with their infant's birth and hospitalization. Open-ended probing questions clarified maternal responses. Saturation was reached after 14 interviews. Iterative coding and thematic grouping was used for analysis. RESULTS: Common themes that emerged were: (1) visiting; (2) general caregiving; (3) holding; (4) feeding; and (5) maternal ideas for improvement. Findings indicated important improvements in privacy, mother-nurse relationship, ease of visiting, and maternal knowledge and participation in infant caregiving. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Mothers suggested improvements such as additional comforts in private rooms, areas in the NICU where they can meet other mothers, and early information on back-transport. Better recognition and response for mothers without adequate social support would provide much needed emotional assistance. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Future research addressing benefits of webcams, wireless monitors, back-transport, maternity leave, and accommodations for extended visiting for siblings would address other needs mentioned by mothers.

Teaching Systems Thinking for Advanced Family Nursing Practice: A Theory-Based Tool.

Systems thinking is essential for advanced family nursing practice, yet this skill is complex and not innate. The Family Nursing Assessment and Intervention Map (FN-AIM) was developed to support student development of systems thinking competencies for Family Systems Nursing practice (see Marigold Family Case Study). The FN-AIM is a pedagogical tool grounded in a family systems framework for nursing with a focus on core family processes as a foundation for interventions. The FN-AIM was implemented as an educational tool to support student skill development as part of a graduate family nursing course in the United States. Through a self-assessment of competence in family nursing practice, 30 students demonstrated an enhanced ability to articulate the distinction between family as context and family as system approaches to family nursing after using the FN-AIM mapping approach. The FN-AIM may be a useful strategy for supporting systems thinking in preparation for clinical skills development in graduate nursing students.

[Cancer Family Care Learning Materials for Japanese General Ward Nurses].

Families of cancer patients are also subject to care, and early intervention is necessary. In general hospital wards, nurses have difficulty in performing satisfactory nursing care for families of cancer patients due to limited time to get involved. Their priority is to provide essential care for patients, thus it is inevitable that they cannot offer intervention for patients' families. In recent years, overtime work by nurses has been regarded as a problem, and implementation of in-service education within the working hours is recommended. Based on these backgrounds, we developed "Learning materials for nurses, with a view to standardized care for the families of cancer patients hospitalized in general wards". In this paper, we report on this learning program and the development process.