title: Unit manager's role with family members of clients in complex continuing care settings: An untold story.
abstract: Most literature on staff-family relationships has come from studies of long-term care settings, has focused mainly on the families' perspectives on factors affecting their relationships with staff, and has included scant findings from the staff's perspective. No studies that examined staff-family relationships in complex continuing care (CCC) environments from the perspective of staff were found in the literature. A qualitative study that draws on a grounded theory approach was conducted to explore staff-family relationships in CCC, and the findings presented in this article illuminate the unit manager's role. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine unit managers and a follow-up focus group with five unit managers who work in three CCC facilities. Three categories reflecting the unit manager's role with family members of clients in CCC settings were derived: establishing supportive entry; building and preserving relationships; and closing the loop. Implications of the findings for practice and future research are presented.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada. s.guruge@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Sepali
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guruge
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McGilton
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yetman
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Ruby
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Librado
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bloch
authors.forename: Salima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ladak
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012380:Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires