Family Involvement in Patient Care and Associated Health Outcomes BACKGROUND Donna Cassidy, BSN, RN, MSN Student Amber Fowler, DNP, MSN-Ed, RN Kaylyn Gorman, RN, MSN INTERVENTIONS This project aims to create an inclusive environment for family members in patient care in a rehabilitation setting. The project includes three themes: family's current exclusion from patient care, the outcomes of family inclusion in patient care, and how nurses' teaching family members can improve family involvement. The proposed intervention for this project is to conduct a head-to-toe assessment and provide family education upon a patient’s admission. • Patients have been having physical and psychological problems after discharge teaching.3 • Step 3: Organize teaching materials/create a head-to-toe assessment (hip surgery was the chosen ailment) • Family involvement has been shown to reduce readmission rates and length of stays and offer comfort and reduce psychological stress.2,3 • Improving family participation in care will lead to improved patient outcomes. METHODS This project used Lewin’s Change Model framework. This framework was chosen to emphasize unity, the problem-solving process, and implementation. An educational tool was developed to foster family education. • Deliverables include: • A pre- and post-survey for evaluating understanding • Step 1: Educate nurses on the importance of family involvement • Step 2: Train nursing staff on head-to-toe assessments and teach-back methods • Step 4: Create EHR charting based on the specific education given to families. IMPACTS The anticipated impact of the project will be to: • Increase family involvement and knowledge of patient care.1 • Decrease readmission rates and reduce lengths of stay.2 • Increase compassion in nurses towards families.5 • Change facility policies to improve family involvement.1 • Improve family confidence in helping the patient.4 • Decrease patient psychological stress.3 • A flyer detailing the benefits of family involvement in patient care • A head-to-toe assessment specific to hip surgery • An EHR charting section detailing education provided to family REFERENCES 1Shibily, F. M., Aljohani, N. S., Aljefri, Y. M., Almutairi, A. S., Almutairi, W. Z., Alhallafi, M. A., Alsharif, F., Almutairi, W., Badr, H. (2021). The perceptions of nurses and nursing students regarding family involvement in the care of hospitalized adult patients. Nursing Reports. 11(1), 133–142. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep11010013 2Bloemberg, D., van Zuylen, M. L., Musters, S. C. W., de Jong, D., Schreuder, A. M., Jamaludin, F. S., Preckel, B., van Dijkum, E. N., Eskes, A. M. (2025). Is the active involvement of family caregivers in adult hospital care effective to improve patient outcomes? A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.70059 3Liu, S., Yang, X., Xie, W., Huang, S., Xiao, W., Deng, Y., Zhang, C. (2025). Identifying family experiences and perspectives on involvement in care of adult ICU patients under family-centered care: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 90, 104059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2025.104059 4Smith, T. S., de Oca, M. A. M., James, L. K., Loehr, A. B. (2022). Standardized postoperative cardiac surgery educational process: Improving familycentered care. Pediatric Nursing, 48(4), 187+. https://link-galecom.hal.weber.edu/apps/doc/A718115599/ITOF?u=ogde72764&sid=summon&xid=c95671f7 5Anthonysamy, C., Vasudevan, V. M. K., Rajendran, S. S., Anbalagan, M., Lakshmanan, J., Narayanasamy, M., Azhagirisamy, S. (2025). Enhancing emotional care: The power of nurse-led interventions in cultivating compassion and family engagement in mental health caregiving in India. Bioinformation, 21(8), 2737–2739. https://doi.org/10.6026/973206300212737 CONCLUSIONS • The purpose of this assessment is to increase family participation in patient care. • Consequently, patient outcomes will be expected to improve. • Trust between patients, families, and healthcare staff may improve • Nursing workload may decrease as families are allowed to participate in more care.1 • The project can later be expanded to include other patient conditions beyond the hip surgery assessment.