Introduction:

In clinical settings, nursing practices are more focused on the dependent person than on the caregiver, which may be related to the complexity of the informal caregiver training process.

Objective:

To explore and understand the phenomenon of nurses' avoidance of the informal caregiver training process and identify the underlying factors.

Methods:

This is an exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine nurses from a central hospital in Portugal. After transcription, content analysis was performed according to Bardin using the NVivo10® software. Ethical requirements were met, and a favorable opinion was obtained from the ethics committee.

Results:

Three thematic units emerged that were organized into categories and subcategories: Recognition of the phenomenon (2 categories); Intrinsic factors that condition nurses in training informal caregivers (4 categories and 2 subcategories); and Extrinsic factors that condition nurses in training informal caregivers (6 categories and 6 subcategories).

Conclusion:

A comprehensive approach is needed to preparing caregivers, from training nurses to identify and assess caregivers’ needs to coordinating and managing the therapeutic regime and planning for discharge. Healthcare organizations and communities should commit to creating the conditions for caregivers to achieve a healthy and safe transition.

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