Go to the Hospital or Stay at Home? A Qualitative Study of Expected Hospital Decision Making Among Older African Americans With Advanced Heart Failure

To address the need for more information concerning hospital decision making, we conducted in-depth interviews among African Americans with heart failure and their family caregivers (n = 11 dyads). Using a case scenario, we asked participants about their anticipated hospitalization decisions. Most p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of gerontological social work 2014-01, Vol.57 (1), p.4-23
Main Authors: Hopp, Faith Pratt, Marsack, Christina, Camp, Jessica K., Thomas, Shirley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American
African Americans
African Americans - psychology
African Americans - statistics & numerical data
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Caregivers
Caregivers - psychology
Caregivers - statistics & numerical data
Cultural Competency
Decision Making
Female
Focus Groups
Heart failure
Heart Failure - ethnology
Heart Failure - psychology
Home Care Services
hospital
Hospitalization
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Middle Aged
Older people
Patient Preference - ethnology
Patient Preference - psychology
Patients
Qualitative Research
Social Work - methods
Social Work - standards
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:To address the need for more information concerning hospital decision making, we conducted in-depth interviews among African Americans with heart failure and their family caregivers (n = 11 dyads). Using a case scenario, we asked participants about their anticipated hospitalization decisions. Most patients indicated that they would seek care to avoid further deterioration or death from their worsening condition. Many family caregivers anticipated having an active influence on hospitalization decisions. Findings suggest that social workers should encourage the development of adequate home-based services, recognize diverse communication styles, and use this information to facilitate medical decision making by these patients and their caregivers.
ISSN:0163-4372
1540-4048
DOI:10.1080/01634372.2013.848966