title: Nurses' experiences and expectations of family and carers of older patients in the emergency department.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Older people are often accompanied by family/carers to the emergency department (ED). Few studies investigate nurses' experiences of interacting with these family/carers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was an exploration of the experiences and expectations that ED nurses have of family and carers accompanying the older adult patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus group interviews (four, n = 27) were conducted and interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and then thematically analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three themes emerged relating to the way nurses judged family/carers of the older person, with the main theme the importance of time. Family/carers were evaluated as supportive and helpful when they saved nurses time and demanding and obstructive when they cost nurses time. A second theme was the family/carer as a knowledge resource. Nurses evaluated family/carers according to whether they could provide timely and useful information on the older patient. The third theme centred on nurses' evaluations of family/carers getting in the way of assessing or treating the patient, by their physical presence and demands and by limiting open communication with the patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency nurses have clear expectations of older patients' families and/or carers. Future research must determine how nursing roles can sustain positive interactions with older patients' families and/or carers in the ED.
authors: Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Margaret
authors: M
authors: Fry
authors: Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Robyn
authors: R
authors: Gallagher
authors: Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Lynne
authors: L
authors: Chenoweth
authors: Faculty of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Stein-Parbury
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers; D016529:Emergency Nursing; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Carer; Emergency department; Family; Nurses; Older person; Perceptions