Abstract
The purpose of this study was to survey the psychological state of grandmothers whose grandchildren underwent cheiloplasty to correct a cleft lip and/or palate （CLP）. Specifically, we clarified the grandmothers’ psychological states related to the medical workers and their peers during the period from being notified about the grandchild’s CLP through the post-cheiloplasty. We conducted semi-structured interviews with each grandmother at the hospital after their grandchild’s cheiloplasty procedure. The participants were 15 grandmothers （either paternal or maternal）. Qualitative data were analyzed using the qualitative descriptive method. Based on our analysis, we classified the participants’ psychological states related to the medical workers into the following two categories: 1） anxiety and confusion caused by unacceptable information, and 2） relief and trust through appropriate interventions by the medical worker. In addition, the participants’ psychological states related to their peers consisted of the following category: 1） relief provided by their peers. Some of the participants received informed consent and followed the process of medical and nursing support, and thus correctly understood the disease, had trust in medical workers, and were provided with relief. We believe that true team medical care should include the family, including the grandmother.
