Factors associated with nurses' positive attitudes towards families' involvement in nursing care: a scoping review

Abstract

Aim: to map the factors associated with nurses’ positive attitudes towards families’ involvement in nursing care and to identify any existing gaps in knowledge. Background: several tools have been proposed to assess the attitudes, beliefs and practices of nurses towards families in different care contexts. However, there is a knowledge gap on how the results of these tools can identify the factors that are associated with more positive attitudes of nurses. Design: a scoping review based on the steps proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Methods: three independent reviewers searched the databases: PUBMED/Medline; LILACS; Virtual Health Library; PsycInfo; Google Scholar; SCOPUS and CINAHL, from 2006 to August 2021, guided by the question: what are the factors associated with nurses’ positive attitudes towards families´ involvement in nursing care, in studies that used one or both of the following two scales ‘Families’ Importance in Nursing Care- Nurses’ Attitudes’ and ‘Family Nursing Practice Scale’? This review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. Results: twenty-six primary studies were identified, in which 9,620 nurses participated. Positive attitudes were associated with three types of variables: (a) personal— longer working career (42.3%) and older age (26.9%); (b) educational—higher level of academic education (30.8%) and family nursing education (23.0%); and (c) workplace— working in primary health care and/or outpatient clinics (34.6%) or in a unit with philosophy/approach to families (23.0%). Conclusions: personal variables such as age and time of service are non-modifiable aspects, but educational and workplace variables are subject to intervention to improve nurses’ attitudes towards families’ involvement in nursing care. Continuing development programmes about family care can constitute important strategies to improve positive attitudes of nurses towards families in practice. Relevance to clinical practice: recognising the characteristics associated with nurses´ positive attitudes towards families may enable the development of tailored interventions that promote family-focused care.