Lay summary
Patient- and whānau/family-centred care includes whakawhanaungatanga (establishing relationships) and taha whānau (extended kinship) as essential aspects of care for everyone. Involving 'whānau/family' as described by the patient leverages their role as allies for safety and quality in direct care interactions, in quality and safety initiatives, health professional education, and policy development. Guideline development for equitable whānau-inclusive bedside care needs to be prefaced with an understanding of how this should look from patient and whānau perspectives. Feeding into the Government Policy Statement on Health priority area 3: quality measures 3.04-3.07, patient, whānau/family and health professional interview data will provide insights into whānau/family-centred care dynamics and define expectations for culturally responsive whānau-inclusive inpatient care. Linkages with senior clinical leaders during this project, and as part of a larger planned programme, will target strategies to foster culturally sensitive and contextually relevant inpatient care as a step towards national guideline development for whānau-inclusive care.