Samarbejde med pårørende: Hvorfor kan det være en udfordring?

Abstract

Collaboration with relatives: Why it can be a challenge? In this ethnographic fieldwork the practices and perspectives of collaboration of healthcare professionals and their clients’ relatives was explored in a context of municipal rehabilitation service in Denmark.

The analytical framework was inspired by Nanna Mik-Meyer’s notion of “rationales”, important to the work of health care professionals.

The analysis showed that the cooperation between healthcare workers and the relatives was characterized by 5 different and partly parallel categories. 1. Relatives – a relief of burden. 2. Relatives – creators of coherence. 3. Cooperation with relatives – a legal obligation. 4. The invisible relatives. 5. Relatives – an obstacle in rehabilitation.

Overall, the findings indicate that the practice of the healthcare professionals` collaboration with relativesis complex.

The healthcare professionals show intentions to prioritize the collaboration, but the framework of the wellfare state gives an essential challenge to comply it. Since the praxis of the health care professionals is often driven by time, the more time demanding relatives are downprioritised and simplified.

An increased awareness about the rationales and their downsides can increase the mutual understanding in the collaboration with relatives.

Keywords

Collaboration, ethnografic fieldwork, health professionals, involvement, rehabilitation, relatives/family