[Family-centered care and post-traumatic stress disorder]

A year has passed since a major earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Honshu, Japan in March 2011. Amidst mourning for the tens of thousands of victims, survivors have just begun the difficult and urgent tasks of rebuilding. Many survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD causes chronic, long-term suffering for patients and their families and inevitably burdens social and medical care systems. This article tries to integrate PTSD evidence-based treatment experiences into a practical and detailed nursing intervention protocol for PTSD. We also elicit the function and effect of "family-centered care." We hope that nursing professionals apply family-centered care principles to PTSD treatment and care approaches in order to promote PTSD patient resilience. Nurses can thus enhance PTSD care efficacy and improve the opportunity for PTSD patients to overcome their symptoms and recover their life.