title: Patient companions in the Turkish healthcare system: the role, expectations and problems.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the roles, expectations and problems of patient companions and to develop solutions to the difficulties encountered by the nurses, patients and their companions. A qualitative approach with semi-structured face-to-face interviews was used during May and June 2014 to collect data. A convenience sample of participants was selected from the nurses, patients and their companions. Content analysis was used for the data. The results of this study revealed that the need for companions is important to the current Turkish healthcare system, but it has many drawbacks. As companions are witness to a patient's declining health and family, social and financial problems, their role should be to support their patients emotionally or socially, but they should not perform medical tasks. Therefore, the agencies responsible for managing the use of patient companions should regularly review its function by communicating often with the patients and their caregivers. Open communication between patient companions and all those responsible for patient care could improve the present difficulties which exist.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Healthcare Management, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Çelik
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Information Technology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Neşet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hikmet
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Healthcare Management, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Şantaş
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Healthcare Management, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aksungur
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Healthcare Management, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gülsen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Topaktaş
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Healthcare Management, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İlkay Sevinç
authors.initials: İS
authors.lastname: Turaç
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D033062:Friends; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Turkish hospitals; patient care; the role and problems of companions