Descriptions and Practices of Family Engagement in Emergency Care Setting

Descriptions and Practices of Family Engagement in Emergency Care Setting: An International, Multisite Qualitative- Descriptive Study

The purpose of this study is to explore and describe nurses' perceptions of their levels and practices of family engagement in Emergency Departments and the experiences of family members in delivery of Emergency Department care.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Emergency Care
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Nurse Interview; Other: Family Interview

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 70

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Natalie McAndrew, PhD,RN,CCRN; Phone Number: 414-704-0876; Email: mcandrew.natalie@mayo.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Mankato, Minnesota, United States, 56001
      • Mayo Clinic Health System Mankato Emergency Department
    • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
      • Mayo Clinic Emergency Department
  • Vermont
    • Bennington, Vermont, United States, 05201
      • Southwestern Vermont Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Research team members and nurse researchers who are members of the International Family Nursing Association (IFNA) Research Committee will recruit ED nurses and family members in collaboration with local research or clinical staff.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Nurses: Registered professional nurses, including those with a diploma, associate's degree, and baccalaureate degrees, who are in charge of the plan of care for the ED patient.

  • Nurses who have been working in that particular ED environment for at least 6 months.
  • Nurses involved in providing direct patient care (not managers).
  • Nurses who are employed by the institution of the research study, not agency staff.

• Family Members: a family member who expressed a sense of belonging to a patient admitted to the ED, or a person that a communicating patient had defined as family or being significant to the patient.

  • Family members who are present with a patient who is being seen in the ED for acute or chronic illness (1 family member to participate per patient).
  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able to speak and read in English (for the United States sample)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Nurses not caring for patients in the ED
• Family members who are not present in the ED with the patient.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Emergency Department Nurses; Registered professional nurses, including those with a diploma, associate's degree, and baccalaureate degrees, who are in charge of the plan of care for the ED patient.	Other: Nurse Interview; Nurses who consent to participate in the study will be asked to partake in an interview that will include questions such as "Please describe how you work with families", "What do you do to engage families?", or "What promotes or hinders family engagement in your ED".
Family Members of Emergency Department Patients; A family member who expressed a sense of belonging to a patient admitted to the ED, or a person that a communicating patient had defined as family or being significant to the patient.	Other: Family Interview; Family members who consent to participate in the study will be asked to partake in an interview and will be asked "What has it been like to be in the ED with your family member?"

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of family member participants	Total number of family members who participated in study interview	Baseline
Number of nursing participants	Total number of nurses who participated in study interview	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mayo Clinic
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Natalie McAndrew, PhD,RN,CCRN, Mayo Clinic

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 28, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 31, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 14, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 25-012667

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No