Family caregivers' experiences during transitions out of hospital

Family caregivers play a central yet under recognized role in ensuring quality and safety during a loved one's transition out of the hospital.

To explore facilitators and challenges family caregivers face in assuming postdischarge family caregiving roles and completing complex care tasks.

A qualitative study recruited 32 participants from 4 sites. Participants were unpaid family caregivers whose loved one was recently discharged from an acute care hospital. A modified Grounded Theory approach was used.

Five central themes emerged from the analysis: (1) family caregivers' contributions to the care of their loved one unfold along on a spectrum where the readiness, willingness, and ability of both parties are often dynamic; (2) family caregivers have unique and potentially incongruent goals from those of the patient; (3) family caregivers feel unprepared for postdischarge medication management; (4) family caregivers encouragement to assert an identity; (5) family caregivers often assume the responsibility for the sequencing of posthospital care plan tasks and anticipating next steps.

Family caregivers provided valuable insights into the challenges they face facilitating their loved ones' transitions. These findings may directly inform the design and testing of an evidence-based intervention to enhance their roles.