scholarly journals Using an ICU Diary to Communicate With Family Members of COVID-19 Patients in ICU: A Case Report

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352110340
Author(s):  
Junpei Haruna ◽  
Hiroomi Tatsumi ◽  
Satoshi Kazuma ◽  
Hiromitsu Kuroda ◽  
Yuya Goto ◽  
...  

Visitation restrictions for family members are problematic in intensive care management due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed the usefulness of an intensive care unit (ICU) diary about the experiences of family members of critical COVID-19 patients. Four family members of 2 COVID-19 patients participated in this report. Both patients were transferred to our ICU after 2 weeks of treatment at another ICU. An ICU diary was given to their family members post-transfer. The family members were interviewed before and after the patients’ discharge; the recorded interviews were analyzed and categorized into several clusters using a text mining method. Five categories regarding their anxious feelings were classified before the use of the ICU diary, and 3 categories were based on their positive feelings after the use of the ICU diary. Intensive care unit diaries may be beneficial for disclosing patients’ information when visitation restrictions are exercised due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn E. Cody ◽  
Susan Sullivan-Bolyai ◽  
Patricia Reid-Ponte

Background The hospitalization of a family member in an intensive care unit can be stressful for the family. Family bedside rounds is a way for the care team to inform family members, answer questions, and involve them in care decisions. The experiences of family members with intensive care unit bedside rounds have been examined in few studies. Objectives To describe (1) the experiences of family members of patients in the intensive care unit who participated in family bedside rounds (ie, view of the illness, role in future management, and long-term consequences on individual and family functioning) and (2) the experiences of families who chose not to participate in family bedside rounds and their perspectives regarding its value, their illness view, and future involvement in care. Methods A qualitative descriptive study was done, undergirded by the Family Management Style Framework, examining families that participated and those that did not. Results Most families that participated (80%) found the process helpful. One overarching theme, Making a Connection: Comfort and Confidence, emerged from participating families. Two major factors influenced how that connection was made: consistency and preparing families for the future. Three types of consistency were identified: consistency in information being shared, in when rounds were being held, and in informing families of rounding delays. In terms of preparing families for the future, families appeared to feel comfortable with the situation when a connection was present. When any of the factors were missing, families described feelings of anger, frustration, and fear. Family members who did not participate described similar feelings and fear of the unknown because of not having participated. Conclusion What health care providers say to patients’ families matters. Families may need to be included in decision-making with honest, consistent, easy-to-understand information.


2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin T. Kirchhoff ◽  
Lee Walker ◽  
Ann Hutton ◽  
Vicki Spuhler ◽  
Beth Vaughan Cole ◽  
...  

• Background Lack of communication from healthcare providers contributes to the anxiety and distress reported by patients’ families after a patient’s death in the intensive care unit.• Objective To obtain a detailed picture of the experiences of family members during the hospitalization and death of a loved one in the intensive care unit.• Methods A qualitative study with 4 focus groups was used. All eligible family members from 8 intensive care units were contacted by telephone; 8 members agreed to participate.• Results The experiences of the family members resembled a vortex: a downward spiral of prognoses, difficult decisions, feelings of inadequacy, and eventual loss despite the members’ best efforts, and perhaps no good-byes. Communication, or its lack, was a consistent theme. The participants relied on nurses to keep informed about the patients’ condition and reactions. Although some participants were satisfied with this information, they wished for more detailed explanations of procedures and consequences. Those family members who thought that the best possible outcome had been achieved had had a physician available to them, options for treatment presented and discussed, and family decisions honored.• Conclusions Uncertainty about the prognosis of the patient, decisions that families make before a terminal condition, what to expect during dying, and the extent of a patient’s suffering pervade families’ end-of-life experiences in the intensive care unit. Families’ information about the patient is often lacking or inadequate. The best antidote for families’ uncertainty is effective communication.


2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1587
Author(s):  
Natália Celião Leite ◽  
Josilene De Melo Buriti Vasconcelos ◽  
Wilma Dias de Fontes

ABSTRACTObjectives: to report the experience of the nursing team and family members of ICU patients as regards communication; to learn the meaning they attribute to the communication process. Methodology: a quantitative and qualitative exploratory study carried out at the Intensive Care Unit of the school hospital. Consisting of 15 family members and 15 nursing professionals who happened to be available there during the data collection, the sample resulted from semi-structured interview guidance. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, taking into account the absolute and percentage numbers, and the technique of the Collective Subject Discourse, with presentation throughout graph, table and charts. Results: the data showed gaps in the communication, which are inherent to some professionals who neither practice nor value the communication process with the family, mainly as regards the need to prepare them for the ICU environment and the real conditions of their family members. Conclusion: the need to adopt an efficient system of communication with relatives of ICU patients is widely known. Thus, the nurse will be adopting new ways of caring, which include valuing the family members as integrating part of the nursing care, with view to humanizing the assistance. Descriptors: communication; humanization of the assistance; intensive care unit. RESUMOObjetivos: relatar a experiência da equipe de enfermagem e de familiares de pacientes internados em uma UTI, na perspectiva da comunicação; apreender o significado por eles atribuído ao processo de comunicação. Métodologia: estudo exploratório, quantiqualitativo, realizado na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva de hospital escola. A amostra foi formada por 15 familiares e 15 profissionais de enfermagem que se encontravam no local, por ocasião da coleta de dados, a qual ocorreu por meio de um roteiro de entrevista semi-estruturado. Os dados foram analisados por meio da estatística descritiva, levando-se em conta os números absolutos e percentuais, e da técnica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo, com apresentação em gráfico, tabela e quadros. Resultados: os dados mostram lacunas na comunicação, as quais são inerentes a alguns profissionais que não praticam e não valorizam o processo de comunicação com a família, principalmente no que diz respeito à necessidade de prepará-los para compreender o ambiente da UTI e as reais condições de seus familiares. Conclusão: é notória a necessidade de se adotar um sistema eficaz de comunicação com os familiares de pacientes internados na UTI. Assim, o enfermeiro estará adotando novas formas de cuidar, que incluem a valorização dos familiares como parte integrante do cuidado de enfermagem na perspectiva da humanização da assistência. Descritores: comunicação; humanização da assistência; unidade de terapia intensiva.RESUMENObjetivos: relatar la experiencia del equipo de enfermería y parientes de pacientes de UTI, en cuanto a la comunicación; aprender el significado que ellos atribuyen al proceso de comunicación. Metodología: estudio exploratorio, cuantitativo y cualitativo, realizado en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva del hospital escuela. Formada por 15 parientes y 15 profesionales de enfermería que se encontraban disponibles en el sitio durante el recogimiento de los datos, la muestra resultó de la rutina de una entrevista semi-estructurada. Los datos fueron analizados a través de la estadística descriptiva, llevándose en cuenta los números absolutos y porcentajes, la técnica del Discurso del Sujeto Colectivo, con presentación en gráfico, tabla y cuadros. Resultado: los datos enseñan brechas en la comunicación, las cuales son propias de algunos profesionales que no practican y no valoran el proceso de comunicación con la familia, principalmente en cuanto a la necesidad de les preparar a entender el ambiente de la UTI y las reales condiciones de sus parientes. Conclusión: es notoria la necesidad de adoptarse un sistema de comunicación eficiente con los parientes de pacientes de UTI. Así, el enfermero estará adoptando nuevas maneras de cuidar, las cuales incluyen la valoración de los parientes como parte del cuidado de enfermero, con vista a la humanización de la asistencia. Descriptores: comunicación; humanización de la asistencia; unidad de terapia intensiva. 


Author(s):  
Wan Nor Aliza Wan Abdul Rahman ◽  
Abdul Karim Othman ◽  
Yuzana Mohd Yusop ◽  
Asyraf Afthanorhan ◽  
Hasnah Zani ◽  
...  

In admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU), there is a high possibility of a life-threatening condition and possible emotional distress for family members. When the family is distressed and hospitalized, a significant level of stress and anxiety will be generated among family members, thereby decreasing their ability to make responsible decisions. As a result, the family members need full and up-to-date details, helping them to retain hope, and this contributes to lower stress levels. While there is growing evidence of the effectiveness of shared decision-making for family members who are directly involved in decisions, particularly regarding shared decision-making in the Malaysian context, there is less evidence that supported decisions help overall outcome. This study aims to developing the family satisfaction with decision making in the Intensive Care Unit (FS-ICU)-33 Malay language version of family member’s satisfaction with care and decision making during their stay at the intensive care units. A quantitative, cross-sectional validation study and purposive sampling was conducted from 1st November 2017 and 10 October 2018 to January 2020 among 208 of family members.  The family members of the ICU patients involved in this study had an excellent satisfaction level with service care. Higher satisfaction in ICU care resulting in higher decision-making satisfaction and vice versa.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Irene Jensen ◽  
Kristin Halvorsen ◽  
Heidi Jerpseth ◽  
Isabell Fridh ◽  
Ranveig Lind

Topic A substantial number of patients die in the intensive care unit, so high-quality end-of-life care is an important part of intensive care unit work. However, end-of-life care varies because of lack of knowledge of best practices. Clinical Relevance Research shows that high-quality end-of-life care is possible in an intensive care unit. This article encourages nurses to be imaginative and take an individual approach to provide the best possible end-of-life care for patients and their family members. Purpose of Paper To provide recommendations for high-quality end-of-life care for patients and family members. Content Covered This article touches on the following domains: end-of-life decision-making, place to die, patient comfort, family presence in the intensive care unit, visiting children, family needs, preparing the family, staff presence, when the patient dies, after-death care of the family, and caring for staff.


2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1832-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Élie Azoulay ◽  
Frédéric Pochard ◽  
Sylvie Chevret ◽  
Christophe Adrie ◽  
Djilali Annane ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
John C. Klick

Cardiac dysfunction and hemodynamic instability comprise another hallmark pathology seen in the intensive care unit. Some could argue that cardiovascular compromise is the most common indication for intensive care management. This chapter aims to emphasize more non-traditional means of managing the patient with cardiac dysfunction up to and including mechanical devices. Additionally, the reader will find cases involving echocardiography which is commonly tested and growing in importance, particularly in the surgical population as volume assessment is challenging when only conventional means are applied. It is our hope that by the end of this chapter, the reader will have experienced a 360 degree perspective of the range of cardiac disease questions with an eye towards the types of questions which may be on the horizon for future examinations.


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