Abstract Aim This study investigated healthcare professionals' attitudes and perceptions towards the family's participation in surgical cancer care. Design A prospective mixed method study. Methods The study was conducted at three hospitals in Sweden with registered nurses, assistant nurses and surgeons. Data included 43 completed Families Importance in Nursing Care (FINC‐NA) questionnaires answered by registered nurses and qualitative data from 14 interviews with surgeons and assistant nurses. Data analysis was performed according to the Creswell convergent parallel mixed method. Results Both quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated that the family was an important resource in nursing care, was highly valued as a conversational partner and had resources that should be considered. Each family should be supported in determining their role and as implements for maintaining a functioning family constellation and increasing their participation. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.
