The purpose of this study is to clarify what a family identity of a family with a handicapped child is. The subjects were families with children who were found to have morphological and functional abnormalities within the first year of life from the fetal period and interfered with activities of daily living. Qualitative and inductive analyses of our semi-structured interviews with seven mothers of children resulted in revealing the five family identities.

The families were creating the new images and senses of their own families while spending joyful time with handicapped children, which are the family identities called “All of us are walking the path of life together, embracing the disabilities of children.” and “We are in warm and lively moods which we created together with a handicapped child.” In the repeated hardships, the families re-examined the figures of them and re-discovered their own figures, which are the family identities of “We are holding hands as one irreplaceable entity and united.” and “We are getting stronger as we work hard on the rugged roads.” In addition, they created the appearances and senses of their families in a society with a sense of discrimination. This is the family identity called “We are just as ordinary as other families and in harmony with our surroundings.”

These results suggested the importance of the following supports for the families to newly find out a family style with children with disabilities, family strength and growth through their efforts to tackle hardships, and a family figure that is connected to society.

Objective: This study aims to clarify the difficulties experienced by nurses in caring for families amid the COVID-19 pandemic and visitation restrictions, and how to deal with such difficulties.

Methods: A semi-structured interview was conducted with six certified nurse specialists. Those interviews were analyzed using Mayring’s method of qualitative content analysis.

Results: Eight difficulty categories were extracted such as “difficulties in remote communication with families,” “difficulties in comprehending the relationships among family members,” “difficulties in sharing the information about the patient’s condition and family’s will between nurses and the family.” Further, they included “difficulties in proceeding with medical treatment and discharge support considering family members.” Regarding coping, nine categories were extracted such as “communicating with families efficiently in limited contact,” “being mindful of families and interacting positively with them,” and “attempting to remind patients and their families of each other.”

Conclusion: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and visitation restrictions, nurses had fewer opportunities to contact families. Therefore, they experienced difficulties in caring for patients based on their relationships with their families. They also struggled to contact and support families. To address these difficulties, nurses must devise a way to communicate remotely with families; to be mindful of families who cannot visit the hospital; and attempt to serve as a bridge between patients and families. These are the first steps toward supporting patients and families amid visitation restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study aimed to clarify the psychological state during emergency visits of families of patients undergoing emergency cardiac catheterization and treatment following a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six family members of patients. Narratives that expressed the psychological state of family members were extracted from the interview data and categorized using a qualitative and inductive approach. Meleis’ transition theory was used as the guide in the discussion for this study.

For the psychological state of the families, the following four categories were identified for the period before arrival at the emergency department: “bewilderment and astonishment regarding the unexpected situation,” “reassurance that the patient will receive medical care,” “optimism about the patient’s condition,” and “awareness of family responsibilities.” The following four categories were also identified for the period after arrival at the emergency department: “confidence in medical professionals,” “difficulty understanding the current situation based on limited information,” “anxiety and peace of mind about the patient’s condition,” and “thinking that there is nothing to do but wait.”

The findings suggest the need for deliberate care by nurses with awareness of family members and continuing nursing care after hospitalization based on the family’s transition process in order to allow families to feel a continuous connection as the environment changes and to fulfill their role as a family.

Objective:The family members who decided DNAR as a healthcare proxy after the onset of stroke on the patients are expected to be distressed. However, few studies focus on the feelings of these families. This research aimed to demonstrate the feelings of the family members who decided DNAR as a healthcare proxy after the onset of stroke occurred on the patients.

Methods:We conducted a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews with the family members of the patients who had a stroke. The patients were also scheduled to be transferred to another hospital because their condition had been stabilized. The family members were informed regarding the choices include DNAR on admission. The data analysis used a qualitative inductive analysis method.

Results and Discussion:There were seven participants in the study. The families felt “it was difficult to understand the situation due to an emergency” and “needed to make a decision based on an explanation from a physician” regarding the patient’s condition and an intention for further treatment. The patient’s condition changed suddenly, and the families decided DNAR thinking it meant a life-prolonging treatment as feeling “unchangeable reality and family’s pain.”

Conclusion:The families, who decided DNAR as a healthcare proxy, regretted their decision without clearly understanding the situation. Nurses need to understand that there may be a misunderstanding between physicians’ descriptions and the understanding of family members regarding life-prolonging treatments and provide support continuously.