Attitudes towards family involvement in nursing care among psychiatric nurses in Hong Kong: A cross-sectional descriptive study.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In Hong Kong, involving the family in nursing care is still optional and mainly depends on nurses' attitudes and the willingness of the family. Hong Kong psychiatric nurses' attitudes towards family involvement in nursing care may be influenced by the unique integrated Eastern and Western cultures, however earlier studies report ambiguous findings. This study aimed to assess Hong Kong psychiatric registered nurses' attitudes towards family involvement in care and its associated factors. This study is a cross-sectional descriptive online survey with convenience sampling based on the Families' Importance in Nursing Care-Nurses' Attitudes (FINC-NA) instrument. Most of the psychiatric nurses had supportive attitudes towards family involvement in care. Females with more clinical experience, working in a rehabilitation-related unit and having attended a family nursing education course were associated with positive attitudes towards family involvement in care. The supportive attitude of psychiatric nurses may be explained by the shift of mental health nursing care from hospital care to community care in recent decades. Mental health nurse education and training in Hong Kong could place more emphasis on building family work skills, particularly for newly qualified nurses and those working in acute inpatient settings.