Experiences of family caregivers and nursing home staff interactions during the adaptation process of elderly individuals moving to nursing home: a qualitative study

Objective To explore the interaction between family members and nursing home staff during the adjustment period of newly admitted elderly individuals in a nursing home.Design A qualitative descriptive study based on semistructured interviews; data were analysed using a thematic topic analysis approach.Setting Interviews were conducted face-to-face.Participants An interview was undertaken with 15 nursing home staff and 12 family members of recently admitted elderly individuals in three nursing facilities from November 2022 to January 2023 in a major Chinese urban centre.Results This study identified 5 main themes and 10 subthemes. The 5 themes identified are: Information transmission and sharing, pleasant interaction atmosphere, interaction dilemmas and challenges, inadequate organisational management and the necessity and anticipation of interaction.Conclusion During the process of older persons transitioning to institutional care, we discovered issues and unresolved requirements in the interactions between family members and nursing home staff. In summary, there is a need to enhance the development of an interactive environment that supports the institutionalisation of older persons. The findings derived from this study are valuable for developing interactive programmes.Trial registration number ChiCTR2100045590, date: 19 April 2021.