Oyesanya, Tolu O.

Background: Persons with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) face issues with health, wellness, and safety that affect their ability to independently manage their care, even for individuals who are ≥75% independent in activities of daily living. These issues often lead to increased family involvement in managing the person's condition after discharge home.

Family caregivers of patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) regularly visit the patient during the hospital stay and are involved in their care. As impairments caused by the TBI often preclude the patient from stating preferences for visitors, family caregivers often make decisions about visitors on the patient's behalf during the hospital stay. However, limited literature investigates this process. The purpose of this study was to describe family caregivers' experience of visitors while the patient with moderate-to-severe TBI is hospitalized.