Being a family member of a burn survivor – Experiences and needs

Abstract

Background: Family members are important in the recovery process of persons with severe burns; however, few previous studies have focused on how this group experiences care and rehabilitation. Objective: To explore family members’ experiences and needs, during the time in hospital and after discharge. Methodology: Explorative study with a qualitative descriptive design. Ten semi-structured interviews with family members of injured persons treated at the national burn centres were recorded digitally, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using content analysis. Findings: Five categories were related to experiences during care: Experiencing excellent treatment and support, Experiencing mistrust and a rejecting attitude, Feelings of chaos and shock, Being the hub of the family network, Feeling hope and thankfulness. Three categories were related to experiences during rehabilitation: Ambiguous feelings, Multifaceted support and Handling the situation. Conclusion: The experiences of the time in hospital and during rehabilitation are individual and comprise a mixture of positive and negative experiences and a diversity of needs. The results suggest that healthcare professionals should be proactive and identify specific needs for support as well as provide individualized treatment of family members. Keywords: Burns, Critical care, Family centred care, Family members, Needs, Experiences