The Nurse Liaison in Perioperative Services: A Family-Centered Approach

Surgery is a stressful time for patients, their family members, and their significant others. A perioperative nurse liaison can offer support, reinforce preoperative teaching, answer questions, and provide information during the surgical procedure that may help family members manage stress and view the process more positively. To provide the best possible care to patients and their family members, perioperative leaders at the Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital, Lafayette, Colorado, started a nurse liaison program when the facility opened in 2004. Although OR nurses were the first choice for the position, the director of perioperative services soon found that postanesthesia care unit nurses were the best candidates for this role. Positive outcomes of the program have included letters from patients praising the nurse liaison, better informed patients, and less anxious family members. As a result of this program, the facility's patient satisfaction survey scores related to communication had a marked improvement by June 2009.     

Development of a family liaison model during operative procedures.

The essence of family-centered care is the provision, by all health professionals, of psychosocially supportive care that fosters family integrity and functioning. Data from a hospital-based satisfaction survey at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) indicated that the primary reason for parents being "less than completely satisfied" was lack of communication. A search of recent literature suggests also that breakdown in family-centered care in intensive care units is neither new nor unique. The purpose of this article is to describe how efforts to improve communication with parents and families led to the development of a family liaison program and an expanded role for staff nurses in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). The goals of this family liaison program were three-fold: to facilitate establishment of a relationship between CICU nursing staff, parents, and families at the earliest possible point in time; to ensure communication with parents and families at regular intervals during their child's surgery; and to promote practice that incorporates principles of family-centered care within the CICU. The design and implementation of such a program presented nurses in the CICU with both a challenge and an opportunity to take an innovative approach to meeting the fundamental need for information reported by parents and families, and echoed throughout nursing literature. This family liaison program serves to educate parents and families, communicate updates, provide physical and emotional support, and establish continuity of care for the patient and family. Additionally, nurses involved in the program have given positive feedback regarding their expanded role in this family-centered care model.     

The post anesthesia care unit experience: a family-centered approach

The Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) visitation program of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center needed revision. The process was disorganized, visits were unescorted, and nurses and physicians were resistant. A committee was formed with the goal of developing a new unit philosophy and improving the overall process. Committee steps included reviewing the literature, educating staff about the benefits of visitation, empowering nurses to incorporate family visitation into patient care, and providing family education. As a result, staff attitudes changed, and nurses now contact the family within 90 minutes of the patient's arrival to the PACU to develop an individualized visitation plan. Morale is high, and nurses take pride in meeting the needs of patients and families.     

Establishing the Surgical Nurse Liaison Role to Improve Patient and Family Member Communication

Having clear personal communication with a surgical patient's family members decreases the anxiety and increases patient and family member satisfaction. Perioperative team members at one East Coast community hospital implemented a new approach to communication in the perioperative area to address patient satisfaction after patient survey scores declined in the areas of communication and calming fears. An additional consideration was the facility's plan to move to a new facility in which the surgical department would be split across two floors. A literature review revealed that adding a surgical nurse liaison can increase patient, family member, and staff member satisfaction. The administration approved creation of the position, with duties that included managing the waiting area, facilitating interaction between physicians and patients' family members, and assisting with family visits to the perianesthesia unit. After implementation of this position, results of surveys showed increases in patient satisfaction. One year after the position was established, staff members reported they were happy with the position as well.     

Determining the impact of a surgical liaison nurse role in the paediatric operating room

A two-group (N = 92) quasi-experimental pre-post test design was used to examine the effects of intra-operative communication by a surgical liaison nurse (SLN) on parental anxiety. Group I received in person progress reports from the SLN. Group II received routine perioperative care. The Speilberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Scale and investigator developed family rating scales were distributed to both groups and used as a quantitative as well as a qualitative approach to determine what was helpful for the family members during the operative period. Two hundred and eighty feedback forms were dispersed to various health care professionals including all anaesthetists, surgeons, nurses and other staff in the perioperative care team, including the operating room, day surgery unit and the post anaesthetic recovery room areas. Feedback forms were also circulated to staff from the intensive care unit and the surgical in-patient units. The results showed the anxiety levels were lower for the families who received in person progress reports but the difference by group was not statistically significant. Thematic written responses provided examples of improved care and effective time management behaviours on the part of the health care professionals. Written responses provided validation for the scale scores for both families and health care professionals and were an indication of the support for the role of the surgical liaison nurse. Qualitative findings implied that the surgical liaison nurse facilitated the transfer of necessary information between the perioperative care team and the family thus providing a support mechanism for families under stress.     

A collaborative project: initiating a family intervention program in a medical intensive care unit

Common needs of family members of critically ill patients were identified. Each member of the family may react differently to the stress caused by hospitalization of a loved one. Dealing with families in crisis requires the coordination of the health care team. A clinical nurse specialist can act as a coordinator and continue to integrate the efforts of the nursing staff to ensure a team approach in providing a structured yet individual way to deliver emotional support to families of the critically ill. The purpose, design, implementation, and evaluation of a family intervention program in an MICU as well as suggestions for its continuation were described. Evaluations of the program revealed positive responses by the majority of families participating in the program. Findings indicated that a structured and well-planned family intervention program can increase the staff nurse's knowledge and sensitivity to the needs of families who are in a crisis situation. Further research is necessary to identify needs of a family when they are faced with an acute illness of a family member and the required nursing interventions to assure the desired outcome of care. Replication and reporting of similar intervention programs, such as the family intervention program, would help nurses plan and implement appropriate interventions to support the family during critical illness of a family member.     

Implementation of an informational card to reduce family members' anxiety

For surgical patients' family members, the wait during surgery can cause anxiety that can be exacerbated if staff members provide inadequate or inconsistent information about the patient's status. Educational interventions and other staff-intensive measures to help reduce family members' anxiety can be time consuming for staff members and impractical in a high-volume facility. To improve communication with patients' families, nurses at a heart and vascular hospital in Dallas, Texas, designed and distributed a card containing estimated procedure times, helpful telephone numbers, and other information. A survey of family members indicated that receiving the card reduced anxiety in a significant proportion of the respondents.     

Extubation of pediatric patients by PACU nurses.

Traditionally, the role of the PACU nurse has been to evaluate patient readiness for extubation, with the responsibility of tracheal extubation performed by the anesthesiologist or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). In our PACU, registered nurses routinely evaluate and extubate the majority of surgical cases. Our experience has shown that extubation by the PACU nursing staff improves airway management skills without compromising patient safety and facilitates OR turnover time. In this article, tracheal extubation performed by PACU nurses is detailed and a case study is presented.     

Application of radio-frequency identification in perioperative care

Every perioperative department could benefit from having an information system that facilitates managerial function and improves efficiency in the OR. The Patient Advancement Monitoring System–Surgical implemented in a hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, is one such a system that uses radio-frequency identification technology for tracking perioperative care of patients along workflow checkpoints. This web-based medical information system can facilitate care provided throughout perioperative services by providing instant patient information to staff members in cross-functional health care teams. Manpower is not wasted on duplicating data entry because the surgical progression is displayed in real time. Satisfaction with the system has been high for both nurses and administrators.     

Racial differences in medical care expenditures.

Out of pocket medical expenditures made by families for physician services, dental visits, medications, hospitalizations and insurance premiums are examined in a southern rural community using household survey interview data. White families paid an average out of pocket amount for total medical services of $709 as compared with $383 for black families over a 12-month period, 1974-75. Correlates of expenditure differences between blacks and whites are explored with respect to family characteristics (race, education of household head, family income, family size and family composition), illness levels (number of family members with perceived fair or poor health status and number of family members reporting chronic conditions), and use of services (number of doctor visits and type of usual source of care). We find that whites consistently report greater expenditures than blacks, regardless of the variables controlled for. We consider that expenditure differences are in part due to a mix of three factors: variations in the cost of doctor visits to whites and blacks; a lower level of use of services by blacks; and the differential availability and use of third party payors.     

Family member as a hospital patient: sentiments and functioning of the family

The aim of this pilot study was to find out how families experience the hospitalization of one family member and to chart the participation of the family in the treatment of the hospitalized family member. A questionnaire was used to gather data for the study and the three open-ended questions in the questionnaire were interpreted using content analysis. The study population (n = 70) was the family members of patients in the neurological wards of Tampere University Hospital. The study demonstrated a variety of negative sentiments in the families, such as worry, fear, shock, anxiety and depression at the hospitalization of their family member. The families also expressed neutral and positive sentiments, such as approval, relief and faith in the help given. Nearly 80% of the families' statements dealt with emotional responses. Changes in the everyday life of the family caused by the hospitalization of a family member were also reported, with most changes affecting the immediate family. Hospital visits gave a rhythm to family life. There were changes in the sharing of housework and taking care of affairs, as well as in relationships within the family. Family members spoke of their loneliness, fear and longing. External changes in family life were present in 13% of statements. Helping the patient in hospital involved functions like participation in nursing care, taking the patient to the cafeteria and rehabilitation. Only 20% of statements dealt with emotional support for the patient. Future research could broaden the perspective to include the views of patients, nurses and doctors on the reality of family nursing.     

Family members' experiences of their role in a hospital: a pilot study

The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences of family members in their role of relative in a situation where a next of kin has been admitted to hospital. The questionnaire was used in data collection. The data reported here are form a pilot study. The sample consisted of 70 family members of patients receiving treatment on the neurological wards. It was found that family members spent a lot of time at their relative's bedside, most of them up to several hours a day. The daily routines of families and way of life were alos very much affected. The most important way in which the hospital supported families was to keep them informed about the patient's care and treatment. However, this was not possible without an active interest and involvement on the part of family members themselves. There were obvious problems and shortcomings in terms of family orientation: only one thrid of the family members felt that the nursing staff were seriously interested in the family's well-being, and only one quarter had been told what they could do in hospital. About half of the family members needed to meet nurses to get support from nurses and over one third from doctors. The oldest respondents and women needed more help than did others. Men preferred to turn to doctors rather than nurses for help. In general family members had good experiences of visiting their relavtie in hospital. They believed that they were expected and that they were of help to their relative. Over half of the family members said they were actively involved in caring for their relative. Only four per cent of the family members reported bad experiences of their visits to hospital, in spite of the obviours shortcomings in family nursing. For this reason it is important that nurses facilitate the involvement and integration of relatives in the process of nursing.     

Family participation in care to the critically ill: opinions of families and staff

Background Allowing family members to participate in the care of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) may improve the quality of their experience. No previous study has investigated opinions about family participation in ICUs.Methods Prospective multicenter survey in 78 ICUs (1,184 beds) in France involving 2,754 ICU caregivers and 544 family members of 357 consecutive patients. We determined opinions and experience about family participation in care; comprehension (of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment) and satisfaction (Critical Care Family Needs Inventory) scores to assess the effectiveness of information to families and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression score for family members.Results Among caregivers 88.2% felt that participation in care should be offered to families. Only 33.4% of family members wanted to participate in care. Independent predictors of this desire fell into three groups: patient-related (SAPS II at ICU admission, OR 0.984); ICU stay length, OR 1.021), family-related (family member age, OR 0.97/year); family not of European descent, OR 0.294); previous ICU experience in the family, OR 1.59), and those related to emotional burden and effectiveness of information provided to family members (symptoms of depression in family members, OR 1.58); more time wanted for information, OR 1.06).Conclusions Most ICU caregivers are willing to invite family members to participate in patient care, but most family members would decline.Supported by a grant (AOR1004) from the Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris and the Direction Régionale de la Recherche Clinique. Affiliations of the authors are listed in the Appendix     

A Primary Health Care Approach Using Hispanic Outreach Workers as Nurse Extenders

Abstract In an effort to improve the health of Hispanic families, particularly prenatal women and infants, the county health department instituted a program of intensified home visits using bilingual, bicultural nurse extenders within a framework of primary health care. The outreach workers offer basic health information to improve families' skills and knowledge, and to assist with linkages to community resources. Public health nurses provide assessment, establish a plan of care, evaluate progress, and supervise the workers. The program has resulted in increased numbers of individuals receiving services, more women registering earlier for prenatal care and the Women, Infants, and Children's (WIC) program, and increased numbers of infants receiving WIC services and regular medical supervision. Public health nurses report increased knowledge and positive changes in families' health behaviors. In addition, the program has strengthened relationships between the health department and Hispanic families.     

Inpatient falls: the impact of family and personal caregivers

The impact of family and personal caregivers on inpatients with fall-related injuries in a Taiwanese medical center is investigated in this study. Taiwan has a prevalent custom for families to accompany their hospitalized loved ones during hospital stays. During the 95-day data collection period, 228 falls occurred. Results showed that if no family members were present when a patient fell, the fall-related injury was less serious. Nurses in Taiwan tend to depend on family members to help provide patient care. Regardless of whether an inpatient has a family member present, frequent bedside nursing visits are important to prevent falls.     

Advanced practice nurses as faculty.

This article details a program through which two child health faculty members who are advanced practice nurses (APNs) combined practice with teaching undergraduate students in a community-based clinical experience on nursing case management. A collaborative agreement between a university-based Children's Special Services Team (CSST) and school of nursing faculty was developed to extend services into the home communities of children with special healthcare needs. Senior students made visits to the homes of the team's clients, conducted assessments, interacted with families, and provided additional care. The team, which included physicians, nurses, a social worker, and therapists (occupational and physical) identified children and families who would benefit from home visits by students nurses who were directed by APNs. Both service and educational goals were accomplished by this community-based case-management experience. The children and their families received additional care from multiple healthcare providers. Students practiced components of community-based case management, and the CSST obtained vital information about their clients' living environments.