본 연구는 영 케어러의 가족돌봄 경험을 보다 새롭고 깊이 있게 탐색 하기 위한 목적으로 질적 해석적 메타통합 방법(QIMS, Qualitative Interpretive Meta Synthesis)을 적용하였다. QIMS는 최근 사회과학분야에 서 새롭게 소개된 질적 연구방법으로, 개별 질적연구의 저자와 참가자들 이 설명하는 무결성과 본질을 유지하면서 질적 연구결과를 통합, 종합, 해석하기 위한 체계적인 접근방식이다. QIMS의 시너지적 이해경로를 통 해 도출된 풍성한 결과는 질적 연구가 갖는 한계를 극복할 수 있다. 2022년 10월부터 2023년 6월까지 국내에서 발표된 7편의 질적 논문을 최종분석에 포함하였고, 총 52명의 영 케어러가 진술한 내용을 시너지적 이해로 분석하였다. 자료범위 축소와 주제 추출 및 통합의 반복과정을 통해 새롭고 의미 있게 생성된 중요주제는 (1) 가족돌봄 상황 전개, (2) 돌봄 노동, 고단한 삶과의 직면, (3) 세상 속 돌봄 상황 가운데 나의 대 응노력과 변화들, (4) 새롭게 발견한 돌봄의 의미, 그리고 성장 총 4개의 범주로 구분하였다. QIMS 분석방법으로 도출해낸 결과를 바탕으로 영 케어러에 대한 실천 및 정책방안을 모색하였다.

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the experiences of families caring for patients with home mechanical ventilation. The question was, “What is the caregiving experience of a family who has a member with home mechanical ventilation?”. Methods: This study was a qualitative study to explore and describe the implications of experiences of families caring through a phenomenological approach. One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with family caregivers who worked as full-time for caring for patients with home mechanical ventilation, and the results were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological method. Participants’ relationships to patients were 1 spouse, 1 father, and 6 mother. The ages of the participants were between 33 and 59, with an average of 45.1. Results: In this study, family members’ caregiving experience was emerged. Analysis revealed the following themes: Felt burdened but had to accept it; Seized by fear; The weight I must bear alone; Everything is difficult and unfamiliar; Still, my home; and Sorry for the other family members. It was found that caregivers had decided to discharge their loved ones from the hospital out of a sense of duty. Conclusion: The families took care of the patients with responsibility and love. The study results should help with the understanding of a family with a member with home mechanical ventilation and should be used to develop nursing, mediating, and consulting programs for these caregivers