Engaging in partnerships is the key to preserving and creating a trustful collaboration with vulnerable families: A focus group study.

OBJECTIVE: Maternal vulnerability challenges parenthood and represents a critical task for health professionals working in postnatal care. Being born to a vulnerable mother may have wide-ranging effects on child development and carry the risks of impairment in cognitive performance, behavioural disturbances and mental problems which may persist into late childhood and adolescence. It is vital to explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals who have experience of caring for vulnerable families at the obstetric department and in the transition to the primary healthcare sector to identify and describe potential barriers, challenges and the potential for any improvements in postnatal care. The aim of this study was to describe healthcare professionals' experience of vulnerable families and their extended stay at the obstetric department, and to describe the collaboration between the primary and the secondary healthcare sectors concerning postnatal care. DESIGN AND SETTING: A qualitative inductive descriptive design with focus group interviews was used for data collection. Two two-hour focus group interviews were conducted at a university hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark in February 2019. PARTICIPANTS AND RESULTS: In total, 16 health professionals from the obstetric department and primary healthcare sectors participated. The overall theme found was Engaging in partnership across sectors and with families can improve postnatal care for vulnerable families. It emerged from three categories: 1) vulnerability as an individual perception, 2) communication and trust as essential competencies and 3) collaboration in a partnership. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study demonstrates the complexity and challenges of postnatal care provided to vulnerable families. It highlights the possibilities and benefits of engaging in partnership across sectors and families to improve postnatal care for vulnerable families. Engaging in partnerships improves the quality of the extended stay at the obstetric department and the transition to the primary healthcare sector.

Dancing with atrial fibrillation - How arrhythmia affects everyday life of family members: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. Patients with AF often experience debilitating symptoms, stress and reduced health-related quality of life. Previous qualitative research on AF has primarily focused on the patient. AF, however, can also be burdensome for the patient's family. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore how family members experience life when a close member in the family has AF. METHOD: Transcribed focus group interviews were analysed using content analysis approach inspired by Graneheim and Lundman. RESULTS: Two focus group interviews were conducted with 11 family members. The overall theme was Dancing with AF. The theme emerged from three categories: 1) Handling AF as a living condition, 2) Influencing the roles of family members, 3) Fear of AF attack. AF had a very significant impact on the patients' family members, forcing them to reconstruct their daily lives. CONCLUSIONS: AF has multiple consequences for family members and can give rise to conflicts concerning family roles. Family members have a lack of knowledge of AF and fear of how AF can cause changes in the family members' everyday lives. This study demonstrates that there is a need for further research of ways to support the family members of patients with AF.