Informal caregivers must open the door to information during heart surgery patients hospitalization. A qualitative study

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background/Introduction Despite the possibility of invasive procedures, open heart surgery is still recommended in cases of severe ischemic heart disease and valvular heart disease. National health authorities recommend that health care professionals in hospital should offer informal caregivers necessary learning and support for burdensome caring duties. Follow-up of heart surgery patients after discharge from hospital can be an informal caregiver challenge. There is a lack of studies on the informal caregivers’ experiences with information from health care professionals from before and during hospitalization. Purpose This study explores the informal caregivers of heart surgery patients experiences of information and communication from health care professionals before and during hospitalization. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted in informal caregivers to patients, who had undergone open heart surgery. A semi-structured interview guide was used during videotelephony (Facetime), phone or face-to-face onsite interview. The settings were university hospitals in Norway and Denmark respectively and were carried out between November 2022 – January 2023. Data analysis in NVivo software tool, following Braun and Clarke`s 6-step thematic analysis process. Results A total of 12 informal caregivers, married or partnered, two men, mean age 65 years, were interviewed two to four weeks after the patient had been discharged to home following open heart surgery. Two main themes were identified: i) lack of preoperative information and ii) responsibility to chase for in-hospital communication. Informal caregivers must invite themselves to gain access to information before admission. Informal caregivers experienced being a team with the patient before admission and then be separated in the health care system. The information and communication were targeted to the patient. Therefore, it was necessary for informal caregivers to be communicatively strong and thereby force doors open to get needed information for themselves. For some informal caregivers it was manageable while others felt lost and withdrew. Conclusion(s) Informal caregivers to patients undergoing open heart surgery want to be part of the information process before and during hospital admission. They want to be in a team with the patient, but it requires an active invitation from health care professionals.