Feasibility of family-focused conversations supporting elderly patients following emergency abdominal surgery: A feasibility evaluation of family conversations across hospital and home

Background and aim:
Elderly patients undergoing major emergency abdominal surgery (MEAS) have an increased risk of deteriorating physical function and dependency on their families after discharge. The aim was to evaluate the feasibility of a three-session Family Strength-Oriented Therapeutic Conversation (FAM-SOTC) intervention conducted across a hospital and municipalities.

Method: The feasibility of the study was evaluated by three areas of feasibility regarding practicality, acceptability, and limited-efficacy testing. The study is reported according to the CONSORT extension for randomised pilot and feasibility trials. Findings: The nurses adhered to most of the core aspects of the family-focused framework in the intervention. The families described the intervention as supportive. The outcome measures were inconclusive due to a small sample size.

Conclusion: A cross-sectoral FAM-SOTC intervention might be feasible but requires training of the nurses involved, close collaboration with relevant stakeholders and replication in a well-designed randomised trial with appropriate sample size.