Dr. Marie Louise Luttik

As a professor in Family Nursing I am affiliated to the Research Group Nursing Diagnostics at the School of Nursing. Within this research group, we aim to serve nursing research, education and practice in health care. Throughout the years I developed myself into a specialist in research, education and practice in the field of Family Nursing and Family Care.

Future healthcare will depend more and more on the support of families and informal carers to provide the care that is needed for our elderly and chronically ill. There is growing evidence that families confronted with serious health problems, taking care of each other, are at risk for stress, caregiver burden and disturbed family functioning.

Family Nursing refers to the provision of care to families in health and illness situations.

Family Nursing builds on two important assumptions;

• Family influence the process and outcome of care for patients;
• Health and illness affects all members of a family and providing care affects the lives of (family) carers.

Family nursing research aims to develop knowledge of the structure, functioning and processes that take place within families in the context of health and illness. My research interest specifically focuses on the development of evidence based family focused interventions, such as e.g. the Family Health Conversation, that support families in dealing with serious health problems.