Relatives of hospitalized stroke patients: their needs for information, counselling and accessibility

The purpose of this study is to explore the needs of stroke patients' relatives during the hospitalization period.

In the Netherlands, the consequences of a stroke, and the needs of stroke patients and their relatives are becoming increasingly important. In hospital, however, nursing care is still focused on the patients. A previous qualitative study on the needs of relatives of stroke patients identified four categories of needs. This present study aims to test the results of the previous study in a larger setting and to identify the factors that influence the needs of the relatives.

This study uses a cross-sectional design. A questionnaire was designed for the purpose of data collection. This questionnaire was completed by 106 relatives of stroke patients admitted to the neurology wards of 19 Dutch hospitals (response rate 64%). The data were analysed using descriptive and multivariate analyses.

The findings of the study indicate that the needs of the relatives of stroke patients are best divided into three categories. These are the need for information, counselling (a combination of communication and support) and accessibility. In all cases, the most important need of the relatives of stroke patients is that their questions are answered honestly. The findings show a discrepancy between the importance of the needs and the degree to which these needs are met. Multivariate data analyses show that female relatives requested most information, whereas highly educated relatives needed less counselling. Satisfaction about the care provided is positively influenced by the period of hospitalization and negatively influenced by prior experiences of hospitalization.