Family Nursing Interventions in Adult Acute Care: Systematic Review of Effectiveness

Hospitalizations significantly affect families’ health. This systematic review of effectiveness without meta-analysis, following Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, aimed to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of family nursing interventions on patient, family, and nurse outcomes among adults admitted to acute care facilities. The included studies were published in English, French, or Portuguese and measured the effectiveness of nurse-led family interventions on patient, family, and nurse outcomes. CINAHL, PubMed, ProQuest, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and two trial registries were systematically searched for studies published between January 2011 and October 2023. Sixty-one articles were included in the analysis. Outcomes were measured among patients (n = 28), families (n = 23), and nurses (n = 4). Although most of the studies demonstrated positive outcomes, they had numerous limitations. Family nursing interventions show promise of effectively improving patient and family health across numerous outcomes. Nurse leaders should examine how to incorporate these more consistently and prolifically into nursing practice.