Multiple family groups for chronic medical illness

What is it about?

This article is about the implementation of brief multiple family groups addressing families and patients with different chronic illnesses (bowel inflamatory disease, diabetes, Parkinson or renal diseases). The program works with family members and patients together through six weekly sessions. Two studies were carried out in Spain. One pilot study of 5 patients and 9 family members. A second study addressed 65 participants (26 patients and 39 family members) and a group of non-participants comprised of 14 patients and 14 family members. The article informs about the improvements that participants in the program (patients and family members) experienced in the post-test and follow up (six months later) measures of their quality of life.

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Why is it important?

It is important because 1. it addresses the impact that chronic illness has in the family system, because 2. it shows that this mutiple family program working with families and patients together can be applied in a country, Spain, different from the one where it was first conceived, USA; and 3. because it shows that patients and families improved their quality of life in the post-test and in the follow-up measures. 4. It also raises concerns about how to approach families and patients who could be potential targets and may be more in need but refuse to participate.

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