Social relations in a chronic care hospital: a whole network study of patients, family and employees

The methodological aspects of a whole network study of chronic care hospital patients are discussed with a particular emphasis on network sampling and non-response bias and the substantive aspects focus in the different patterns of relationships of patients, family and employees in a hospital setting.

Abstract

Institutionalization is associated with the loss of informal social ties because isolation in the community increases the risk of admission and/or admission to a facility increases the risk that ties will be severed. The literature on social relationships with institutions has been limited by the use of biased samples, simplistic measures and exclusion of patients unable to respond to verbal or written questionnaires. The methodological aspects of a whole network study of chronic care hospital patients are discussed with a particular emphasis on network sampling and non-response bias. The substantive aspects of the present analyses focus in the different patterns of relationships of patients, family and employees in a hospital setting.