Abstract

It has been suggested that an important difference between hospital and hospice care is that the latter is more geared to the attainment of family goals. Nurses are the one group of health-care professionals who work with families during all phases of an illness. Using the Delphi technique, this study aimed to identify some supportive nursing behaviours and some factors which went against effective provision of family care in a hospital. Twenty-two qualified nurses drawn from seven wards participated in the study. Supportive nursing behaviours were identified and priority was given to issues concerning symptom control, privacy, time and honest communication. Factors hindering the effective provision of family care focused mainly on the problems of balancing priorities, issues of disclosure, providing privacy and managing family conflict. The findings identified key areas of family care which warrant further investigation and highlight a potential focus of education and practice initiatives within hospitals.