Focusing on Families in the Emergency Department

The focus on the family has increased steadily over the past three decades. Family care is grounded in caring for the family as a unit when a member of the family becomes ill, and is based on the premise that illness and health of an individual family member affects the family as a whole. Traditionally, a family was defined as individuals who share a biological bond with each other (Kaakinen, Gedaly- Duff, Coehlo& Hanson, 2010). Rosland (2009) identified the modern family as two or more individuals who share a relationship of significance in some way, be it biological, legal or emotional and concluded that family is defined as perceived by family members themselves – that is, the family is who the patient says they are.
Source: International Emergency Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research