Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Åsa Engström, Luleå University of Technology
- Second opponent: Associate Professor Svein Bergvik, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor Reidar Pedersen, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Associate Professor Randi Opheim, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Elin Børøsund, Oslo University Hospital
Summary
The Caregiver Pathway – a model to improve the follow up of family caregivers to critical ill patients.
Family caregiver to critically ill patients are in a challenging situation. The severe illness of the patient can be a traumatic experience, and the family caregivers could develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety and depression in the time after the critical illness. These symptoms are also known as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Family (PICS-F).
Models to follow up the family caregivers have been asked for and this doctoral thesis sought to develop and test a model to support the family caregivers in a structured, individual way. The model was developed through a participatory design approach including managers, former family caregivers and experienced ICU nurses as contributors through the development process. The developed model, called “The Caregiver Pathway” consists of 4 steps offering individual structured follow up from admission to after homecoming or the death of the patient.
“The Caregiver Pathway” was tested in a randomized controlled trial where 196 family caregivers were allocated into a control group receiving standard care or an intervention group receiving “The Caregiver Pathway” in addition to standard care.
The results revealed that the intervention group had a significant lower score of symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, particular among the family caregivers to patients who survived. Among the bereaved ones, no such effect was found.
To conclude, “The Caregiver Pathway” may serve as a model to decrease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, especial among family caregiver to patients who survive the critical illness.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.