Although the research indicates that patients and family members are not fully satisfied with the counselling they receive, little is known about the quality of counselling in more detail. The purpose of the study was to describe patients’ and their family members’ experiences about counselling in emergency department, and follow how these experiences possibly change after the educational intervention for the whole nursing staff of the ED ward. The pre-test-post-test follow-up design was implemented including online continuing education for ED staff. The data were collected via questionnaires from patients and their family members in two phases and analyzed statistically. After online education of staff, experiences of patients and family members concerning counselling were better than before the education. Especially, family members’ satisfaction had increased. However, our results also indicated that patients and family members desire more information for example, regarding medications. Care practices had developed towards family-centeredness, which patients and family members appreciate. Online education proved also in some degree its usefulness in educating ED staff, by offering the same education to a staff which works in shifts. Furthermore, family presence and participation practices should be developed by offering possibilities for families to stay with each other on ED ward. 1. Introduction International health policy puts emphasis on counselling that enhances patients’ health-related resources, and supports their independent coping abilities [1–3]. Counselling for patients discharged from the ED is important because they themselves and their family members are mostly responsible for care at home. The quality of counselling can be considered high if it meets the information needs and expectations of patients and their family members [4–8], helps them identify their resources and capabilities, and fosters their control over the situation [9]. During the past decade, the development of evidence-based nursing practice has been an internationally important issue [10]. Evidence-based practice serves the purpose of supporting nursing care that is based upon research, in a cost-efficient manner [11]. There is a need to develop the quality of care [12, 13] and as a part of it, family-centred counselling provided to patients and their family members in the ED [14, 15] as previous studies have indicated that patients and their families have not been fully satisfied with the counselling they received [16–18]. In order for patients to use their own
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