Experiences of family caregivers of people with spinal cord injury at the neurosurgical units of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Ghana

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) often leaves affected persons with a lifelong demand for care. As a result, the effect of the condition goes beyond the injured person to affect family members and significant others who have to adjust their lives to provide care and support. However, little is known about the experiences of these family caregivers regarding the care of people with SCI in Ghana. Exploring their experiences would enhance the understanding of family caregiving of people with SCI and contribute to policy intervention. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive phenomenology study used the purposive sampling method to select 10 family caregivers. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide through individual in-depth interviews. Written informed consent was obtained and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were manually analysed following Colaizzi’s method of data analysis. RESULTS: In all, 4 main themes emerged from the analysis of data (1) becoming a caregiver, (2) roles of the caregiver, (3) the burden of caregiving, and (4) coping strategies. The family caregivers provided vital assistance to their relatives with SCI and experienced physical and financial burdens as a result of the care. Due to the strains involved in the caregiving process, family caregivers adopted various strategies to cope with the situation. CONCLUSION: This study has provided evidence of the lived experiences of family caregivers of people with SCI in the Ghanaian context and further supports the findings of previous studies. Measures including training, counselling, and instituting social support services for family caregivers should be considered by the management of healthcare institutions to enhance the experiences of family caregivers.