Effects of Familial Health on Patient Recovery

In admitted patients, do physiological and psychological problems of their relatives or a lack thereof such issues affect recovery outcomes? According to Katende and Nakimera (2017), the prevalence of anxiety and depression among family careers often ranges from 26 to 45%. There are abnormal levels of both depression and anxiety among family members of admitted or critically ill patients. The above question is of utmost significance because patient recovery is affected by numerous factors. The overbearing factor, however, is familial support. If a patient’s family member is suffering from a mental problem prior to or caused by the patient’s illness, it may inadvertently affect the patient’s recovery. On the other hand, acute depression and anxiety in family members may birth to more severe clinical conditions.

The article, Determining anxiety and depression levels of the relatives of patients undergoing the major orthopedic surgery, by Ozbar, Seyhan, Kutlu, Demircioglu, & Cavdar (2018) evaluates the psychological effects of orthopedic surgery on a patient’s family members. It also tries to provide solutions to these effects. Family members play a large role in patient recovery. Compared to the patients, their family members are often more affected by the illness and recovery process. Ozbar et al. (2018) state that family members aid in factors such as costs and safety or emotional support.

The primary orthopedic operations that require maximum levels of support include trauma care, spinal surgery, fracture repair, rotator cuff repair, total knee replacement, sports-related injuries, and total hip replacement. In such operations, orthopedic interventions may affect the patients and their family members negatively. Ozbar et al. (2018) assert that coupled with unsupportive or emotionally unstable families, such interventions may lead to immobility or death. The incidence rate of anxiety is 35-72% and that of depression as 10-75% in family members of patients going through these interventions (Ozbar et al. 2018).

Reliability is the consistency of an experiment’s measurement or the measurement’s repeatability. The study used parallel-test reliability by utilizing two domineering methods of data collection; the form of descriptive characteristics and the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD). The test exhibited consistency of variables, as shown on the tables in the results section (Ozbar et al. 2018). The descriptive characterizes table was highly specialized, thus noting all the differences in the 60 participants. Ozbar et al. (2018) constructed two sets of questions and administered them to all the participants and used the split-halves as well as the results from the HAD test to draw to their conclusions. Moreover, the research utilized both the Chi-square and Fisher exact tests to compare qualitative data.

Validity is the strength of a study’s inferences, conclusions, and propositions. A valid conclusion provides the best available approximation to the experiment’s observable truths. Various factors threaten the validity of the OZbar et.al (2018) article. First, single group threats are possible due to the lack of a control group. The experiment only concentrated on family members of major orthopedic surgeries in one geographical area. Therefore, the results in other regions or hospitals that offer different conditions may differ from the one in the study. Also, a testing threat is possible because the experiment works with the assumption that the familial anxiety and depression of the participants come from the patient’s disease. Regardless of these threats, the test uses construct validity as it measures the concept it intended to measure. As seen in the conclusion, the gender of the patients, previous hospitalization status, and the alcohol use of the patient relative affected the anxiety level of the patient relatives. Furthermore, getting sufficient information about the health status of the patient affects the depression level of patient relatives (Ozbar et al. 2018). The conclusion is, therefore, valid as it evaluates the causes of anxiety and depression in the relatives of orthopedic patients.

The research study used surveys and focus groups as its primary research methods. In surveys, it employed questionnaires. The first part of the questionnaire had twelve questions that asked general gender, age, and health inquiries of the patients. The second part involved the medical history and other relevant questions about the patient’s relative. The use of surveys was efficient because it was quick and consistent. However, participants self-report behaviors in questionnaires and, hence the method risks bias results. Although focus groups provide in-depth information, their results are influenced by group dynamics and become challenging to interpret.

The clinical practice guideline in the Dimensions of critical care nursing journal, Preventing sentinel events caused by families by Yolanda and Donald (2011), explains how family errors may cause sentinel events in patient health. For instance, a daughter suffering from anxiety may panic and delay in alerting physicians in cases of IV tube misconnections. The guidelines state that to prevent such incidents, nurses must assess the patient’s family’s understanding of the hospital policies, educate patients about the essence of calling for help, and provide holistic counseling support to distressed family members.

Fumis et al. (2019), attempt to explain the causes of poor mental health and quality of life of relatives of the patients in ICU. The article states that the lack of previous ICU experience may cause anxiety and depression among family members. Also, the lack of socioeconomic resources may lead to tension and anxious behaviors in family members. People with little education also suffer far much more in such situations than enlightened family members. Therefore, as a nurse, one ought to consider all these factors and try to ease the patient’s family.

In admitted patients, do physiological and psychological problems of their relatives or a lack thereof such issues affect recovery outcomes? The answer to this question, according to the above research, is straightforward. One’s relatives may suffer due to a patient’s illness because of a lack of knowledge of the disease, financial matters, and distress. Such issues may interfere with the patient’s psychology, hence delaying the recovery process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Fumis, R., Ferraz, A., Castro, I., Oliveira, H., Moock, M., & Junior, J. (2019). Correction: Mental health and quality of life outcomes in family members of patients with chronic critical illness admitted to the intensive care units of two Brazilian hospitals serving the extremes of the socioeconomic spectrum. PlosOne, 14(11) doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225235

 

Katende, G., & Nakimera, L. (2017). Prevalence and correlates of anxiety and depression among family carers of cancer patients in a cancer care and treatment facility in Uganda: a cross-sectional study. African health sciences, 17 (3): 868–876. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v17i3.30

 

Ozbar, A., Seyhan, E., Kutlu, Y., Demircioglu, N., & Cavdar, I. (2018). Determining anxiety and depression levels of the relatives of patients undergoing the major orthopedic surgery International Journal of Caring Sciences, 11 (2):1259. Retrieved from www.internationaljournalofcaringsciences.

Yolanda, W., & Donald, K. (2011). Preventing sentinel events caused by family members. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing,30 (1): 25-27 doi: 10.1097/DCC.0b013e3181fd02a0