Partnership between staff and family in long-term care facility: a hybrid concept analysis

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the attributes and verify the definition of the partnership concept using the hybrid model. Methods A hybrid model was used to develop the concept of partnership. The hybrid model consists of three phases: theoretical, fieldwork and final analytical. In the theoretical phase, a working definition of partnership was developed by an extensive review with 35 studies. The fieldwork phase comprised seven focused-group interviews with 35 participants consisted of 25 facility staff and 10 family caregivers in long-term care facilities. The final analytical phase compared and interpreted the findings from the first and second phases in order to clarify the concept of partnership. Results The concept of partnership was found to have two dimensions: interpersonal and environmental dimensions. The seven attributes emerged from this study. They included relationship, information sharing, shared decision-making, professional competence, negotiation, involvement in care, shared responsibility. Conclusions The partnership between family and staff in long-term care facilities was defined as an ongoing and dynamic process associated with interpersonal and environmental factors. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the development of a tool for measuring partnership and an effective program for enhancing to establish a collaborative relationship.