Culturaly diverse family members and their hospitalised relatives in acute care wards: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE To describe the experiences of culturally diverse family members who make the decision to stay with their relatives in acute care wards. DESIGN A qualitative descriptive study. SETTING Medical and surgical wards in an acute care hospital with a 70% non-English speaking background patient population. SUBJECTS Eight culturally diverse family members who stayed with their hospitalised relatives for at least four shifts or the equivalent hours. METHOD In-depth interviews of approximately 45 minutes. FINDINGS Three main categories described the experience of family members. These categories were carrying out in-hospital roles, adhering to ward rules, and facing concerns. CONCLUSIONS Findings indicate nurses and family members could benefit from negotiating active partnerships; family friendly ward environments need to be fostered, supported by appropriate policies; and further research is needed into culturally diverse family members' partnerships with nurses in acute care settings.