Nurses’ perception on the difficulties and information needs of family members caring for a dependent person

Abstract

The transition of dependent people from hospital to the home is a situation that generates stress for them and for the family. This descriptive, exploratory study with a qualitative approach aims to identify the perception of nurses about the difficulties that face a family caring for a dependent person, including information needs, and with reference to applicability of use of educational technology. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 nurses of a hospital and two health centers in the region of Porto, Portugal. The majority of participants were men, with average age of 32.64 years, and an average of 9.86 years’ experience of exercise of the profession. The nurses identified needs for information for the development of competencies in the areas of knowledge of instruments related to the self-care of moving, turning and changing place, and the utility of use of educational technology. It is concluded that mastering the areas of knowledge identified would facilitate the construction and application of educational technology for family members caring for a patient.