Family health promotion and family involvement in connection with open-heart surgery

Family involvement is a prerequisite for family-centered care. Social support and family relations have a significant impact on the patients' post-operative recovery after elective open-heart surgery. However, family involvement is a complex phenomenon that constitutes an ethical, and sometimes challenging, aspect of care. The attitudes of health-care professionals affect the ability of families to participate in care. It is, therefore, essential to illuminate the phenomenon of family involvement and to evaluate the effect of family-centered care in the context of cardiothoracic surgical care.

The project “Family health promotion and family involvement in connection with open-heart surgery” intends to describe patients 'and their family members' experiences of family involvement in care in connection with open-heart surgery. The attitudes of health-care professionals to family involvement will also be described. The intervention Health-Promoting Conversations with families' effect on health-related quality of life, recovery, participation, and stress for patients undergoing open-heart surgery, and their families will be tested. In previous studies, Health-Promoting Conversations with families have been shown to improve family relationships, reduce stress, and increase health-related quality of life for the whole family. The method has been evaluated in a randomized, controlled pilot study in the intensive-care context, where the results indicate that Health-Promoting Conversations can improve the whole family's health and well-being.