This study measures the attitudes of the psychiatric nurses, after having received an education and training intervention program (ETI-PROGRAM) in family systems nursing, towards the importance of the families in their care. Nurses' knowledge of the impact that family nursing intervention can have on family members may increase positive attitudes towards families. However, little is known about the impact that education and training intervention can have on nurses' attitudes, towards families in clinical practice. Quasi-experimental design was used to assess the change in nurses' attitudes towards families in psychiatric care after the intervention, which included a one-day seminar on the Calgary family nursing conceptual frameworks and skills training with clinical vignettes of families from psychiatry. The Families Importance in Nursing Care - Nurses' Attitude questionnaire was used to evaluate nurses' attitudes. A total of 81 nurses (65%) working in psychiatric care responded to the questionnaire. Nurses with more than 15 years of work experience were significantly more supportive of families in their care compared with less experienced nurses. Out of the 81 nurses, 52 (64%) answered the questionnaire again 14 months later. Furthermore, psychiatric nurses saw families significantly less burdensome after having participated in the ETI-PROGRAM.

Providing clinically meaningful education and training in family nursing through programs such as the ETI program for practicing nurses at a university hospital is essential in supporting nurses applying new knowledge, when providing evidence-based health care services, to individuals and their family members. Such training can facilitate integration of new and needed information in clinical practice.

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Valid and reliable instruments are needed to measure how family members perceive support from nurses when a family member is experiencing serious illness. The purpose of this article is to describe the development and psychometric testing of a new instrument, the Iceland-Family Perceived Support Questionnaire (ICE-FPSQ). The concepts in the original version of the ICE-FPSQ (suggesting 24 items and 4 categories) were developed from the Calgary Family Intervention Model. In the first phase of the instrument construction, 179 family members answered the original ICE-FPSQ, and 236 answered the questionnaire in the second phase of testing. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reduced the original questionnaire to 21 items. Cronbach's α = .959 explained 68% of the total variance, with three factors emerging: (a) emotional support (α = .925), (b) recognition of families' strengths (α = .926), and (c) cognitive support (α = .841). Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) resulted in a final version of the questionnaire containing 14 items with total alpha of .961 and two factors: (a) cognitive support (α = .881) and (b) emotional support (α = .952). The instrument measures family's perceptions of support provided by nurses and will be helpful in examining the usefulness of family nursing interventions.

These findings underline the long-term impact of children's cancer on their families. Interventions focusing on emotional support, parents' wellbeing, and how families perceive the health of their child with cancer might benefit the family as a whole.

The FAM-TCI was brief, easy to provide, and well fitted. Pediatric oncology nurses can offer brief, beneficial interventions to families of children and adolescents with cancer who are in active treatment. Knowing that primary caregivers experienced support and information may result in more effective evidence-based family care.

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Rationale Healthcare providers’ beliefs, attitudes, experiences and knowledge, which guide the care they deliver, are the key factors influencing the quality of palliative care. Education and coaching innovation are needed to translate research outcomes and adopt evidence‐based nursing care into practice. Objectives To evaluate the impact of an advanced educational and coaching programme in a family systems’ nursing approach for palliative care nurses in a home‐care setting. Methods A quasi‐experimental study using qualitative data from open‐ended questions to augment the quantitative outcome study that included a single‐group, pre‐ and post‐test design. A total population sample of nurses was recruited from a specialised palliative home care unit at a university hospital. The study utilised two self‐reported questionnaires. Results There was a statistically significant increase in the nurses’ critical appraisal of clinical nursing practice related to family nursing after participation in the educational programme than before. No statistical difference was found in items related to nurses’ experience of the interaction and reciprocity in the nurse–family relationship after participation in the programme than compared to before or in nurses’ cancer‐related beliefs. However, there was an overall significant positive change found in attitudes towards families in the total score of the Family Practice Scale. Nurses were also more positive about the further development of their knowledge and skills in advanced family nursing evident in the qualitative data. Conclusion An advanced educational intervention programme was successful in improving the nurses’ knowledge, skills, satisfaction and confidence in relation to applied family nursing approach within the context of caring for families affected by advanced/final stage cancer. However, further refinement of the implementation process is needed to enhance family care improvement and the nurses’ professional development in advanced family nursing in specialised palliative care.