Family caregivers’ expectations and needs in Critical Care Units
Abstract
Introduction: Patient admission into the critical care unit is usually an unpleasant and unexpected life experience for the family members, and unusual for family members to cope with stress and anxiety during their hospital stay.
Purpose: This study aimed to explore the expectations and needs of family members of the patients in critical care units at two tertiary care hospitals in Islamabad.
Methodology: An exploratory descriptive design was used to address the study questions. Using purposive sampling, 14 family members were individually interviewed through a semi- structured interview guide. A conventional content analysis method was used to analyze the data through which categories and sub-categories were identified.
Findings: The data analysis revealed three roles of the family members, which included assistance in physical care, facilitator in the provision of treatment and the decision maker. The participants expressed that their needs for information and assurance were being met to some extent; however, their need for support and comfort were not. Although the physical facilities for meeting the comfort were available in private hospital, it did not match the family members’ expectations.
Conclusion: This study revealed that despite some similarities in the role and needs, the expectations and satisfaction of the family members is linked to their awareness of the healthcare system as well as the cost of the obtained services. The suggestions of the family members are implementable to improve their experiences and satisfaction in critical care units, which can enable them to perform their roles better.
Downloads
References
Blom H, Gustavsson C, Sundler AJ. Participation and support in intensive care as experienced by close relatives of patients—A phenomenological study. Intensive Crit. Care Nurs. 2013; 29(1):1-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2012.04.002
Molter NC. Needs of relatives of critically ill patients: a descriptive study. Heart lung. 1979; 8(2):332-9.
Abdel-Aziz AL, Ahmed SE, Younis GA. Family needs of critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit, comparison of nurses and family perception. Am J Nurs Sci. 2017; 6(4):333-46.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20170604.18
Al Ghabeesh SH, Abu-Snieneh H, Abu-Shahror L, Abu-Sneineh F, Alhawamdeh M. Exploring the self-perceived needs for family members having adult critically ill loved person: descriptive study. Health. 2014; 6(21):3005.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2014.621338
Al‐Hassan MA, Hweidi IM. The perceived needs of Jordanian families of hospitalized, critically ill patients. Int J Nurs Pract. 2004; 10(2):64-71.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-172X.2003.00460.x
Al‐Mutair AS, Plummer V, Clerehan R, O'Brien A. Needs and experiences of intensive care patients' families: a Saudi qualitative study. Nurs Crit Care. 2014; 19(3):135-44.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12040
Al‐Mutair AS, Plummer V, Clerehan R, O'Brien A. Families' needs of critical care Muslim patients in Saudi Arabia: a quantitative study. Nurs Crit Care. 2014; 19(4):185-95.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.12039
Azoulay E, Pochard F, Chevret S, Jourdain M, Bornstain C, Wernet A, et al. Impact of a family information leaflet on effectiveness of information provided to family members of intensive care unit patients: a multicenter, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2002; 165(4):438-42.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1164/ajrccm.165.4.200108-006oc
Azoulay E, Pochard F, Kentish-Barnes N, Chevret S, Aboab J, Adrie C, et al. Risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms in family members of intensive care unit patients. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2005; 171(9):987-94.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.200409-1295OC
Bailey JJ, Sabbagh M, Loiselle CG, Boileau J, McVey L. Supporting families in the ICU: A descriptive correlational study of informational support, anxiety, and satisfaction with care. Intensive Crit. Care Nurs. 2010; 26(2):114-22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2009.12.006
Bijttebier P, Vanoost S, Delva D, Ferdinande P, Frans E. Needs of relatives of critical care patients: perceptions of relatives, physicians and nurses. Intensive Care Med. 2001; 27(1):160-5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s001340000750.
Blom H, Gustavsson C, Sundler AJ. Participation and support in intensive care as experienced by close relatives of patients—A phenomenological study. Intensive Crit. Care Nurs. 2013; 29(1):1-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2012.04.002
de Beer J, Brysiewicz P. The experiences of family members during critical illness of a loved one admitted to an intensive care unit. Afr. J. Nurs. Midwifery. 2017; 19(1):56-68.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/2520-5293/1446
Delva D, Vanoost S, Bijttebier P, Lauwers P, Wilmer A. Needs and feelings of anxiety of relatives of patients hospitalized in intensive care units: implications for social work. Soc Work Health Care. 2002; 35(4):21-40.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J010v35n04_02
Capistrán‐Barradas A, Moreno‐Casasola P, Defeo O. Postdispersal Fruit and Seed Removal by the Crab Gecarcinus lateralis in a Coastal Forest in Veracruz, Mexico 1. Biotropica: J. Biol. Conserv. 2006; 38(2):203-9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00116.x
Fateel EE, O’Neill CS. Family members’ involvement in the care of critically ill patients in two intensive care units in an acute hospital in Bahrain: The experiences and perspectives of family members’ and nurses’-A qualitative study. Clin Nurs Res. 2016; 4(1):57-69.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/cns.v4n1p57
Gul R. The image of nursing from nurses’ and non-nurses’ perspective in Pakistan. Silent Voice. 2008; 1(2):4-17.
Hafeez A, Khan Z, Bile KM, Jooma R, Sheikh M. Pakistan human resources for health assessment, 2009. Mediterr. Health J. 2010;16:S145.
Hamid S, Malik AU, Kamran I, Ramzan M. Job satisfaction among nurses working in the private and public sectors: a qualitative study in tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. J. Multidiscip. Healthc. 2014; 7:25.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S55077
Lincoln YS, Guba EG. But is it rigorous? Trustworthiness and authenticity in naturalistic evaluation. New Dir Eval. 1986; 1986(30):73-84.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.1427
Maxwell KE, Stuenkel D, Saylor C. Needs of family members of critically ill patients: a comparison of nurse and family perceptions. Heart & Lung. 2007; 36(5):367-76.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrtlng.2007.02.005
Molter NC. Needs of relatives of critically ill patients: a descriptive study. Heart lung. 1979; 8(2):332-9.
Morse JM, Mitcham C. Exploring qualitatively-derived concepts: Inductive—deductive pitfalls. Int. J. Qual. Methods. 2002; 1(4):28-35.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690200100404
Nazir, A. (2017). Perception of family members and nurses regarding needs of patient’s family members in Intensive Care Units.
Nolen KB, Warren NA. Meeting the needs of family members of ICU patients. Crit. Care Nurs. Q. 2014; 37(4):393-406.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000040
Pochard F, Darmon M, Fassier T, Bollaert PE, Cheval C, Coloigner M, et al. Symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members of intensive care unit patients before discharge or death. A prospective multicenter study. J Crit Care. 2005; 20(1):90-6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2004.11.004
Polit DF, Beck CT. Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
Siddiqui S, Sheikh F, Kamal R. What families want-an assessment of family expectations in the ICU. Int Arch Med. 2011; 4(1):1-5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1755-7682-4-21
Yin King Lee L, Lau YL. Immediate needs of adult family members of adult intensive care patients in Hong Kong. J Clin Nurs. 2003; 12(4):490-500.
Copyright (c) 2021 Journal of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Journal of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University (JSTMU) is the owner of all copyright to any work published in the journal. Any material printed in JSTMU may not be reproduced without the permission of the editors or publisher. The Journal accepts only original material for publication with the understanding that except for abstracts, no part of the data has been published or will be submitted for publication elsewhere before appearing and/or decision in this journal. The Editorial Board makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of material printed in the journal. However, conclusions and statements expressed are views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editorial Board or JSTMU.
Content of this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
