Anxiety and information use in family members of brain injured clients
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. Johannesburg, 2013 === Whilst patients are in hospital, their families are expecte...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net10539/13700 |
| Summary: | A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Occupational
Therapy.
Johannesburg,
2013 === Whilst patients are in hospital, their families are expected to understand and
remember complex information from the medical team. Previous studies have shown
that high levels of anxiety impair a person’s ability to interpret complex information
and memory recall. It is unknown if family members experience anxiety whilst the
patient is in rehabilitation. The study aimed to determine if family members
experienced anxiety, and whether there was a significant correlation between anxiety
and the length of time the client was admitted to the rehabilitation facility; length of
time since the client’s injury; the FIM measurement of the patient; as well as the
perception of received information by the treating team. A family representative
participated by completing the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and
an Information Checklist on three separate occasions during the patient’s stay in a
rehabilitation hospital. Family members were found to be anxious throughout the
period of rehabilitation, with a decreasing trend in the average scores of the HADS
assessment. An increasing trend was noted in the satisfaction of information offered
by the treating team. No significant correlation could be found between the family
members’ anxiety and the motor or cognitive improvement in the patient – thus
indicating that a strong possibility exists that the factors influencing the family
members’ anxiety are wide spread and diverse. |
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