Nursing Interventions to Reduce Stress in Families of Critical Care Patients: An Integrative Review

Background Having a family member admitted to an intensive care unit is a stressful experience that may lead to psychological symptoms including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Objective To better understand the phenomenon of stress experienced by families of intensive care unit patients and identify nursing interventions that may help reduce it. Methods An integrative literature review was performed to identify principal stressors for families of patients receiving care in neonatal, pediatric, and adult intensive care units and recommended nursing interventions. Results The principal stressors in the 3 types of intensive care units were change in parental role or family dynamics, appearance and behavior of the patient, the care setting, and communication with the health care staff. Nursing interventions should focus on valuing the role of family members in patient care, improving communication, and providing accurate information. Clinical Relevance Family members of intensive care patients will benefit from nursing interventions that adequately acknowledge and address the stress they experience. Conclusion Nurses play a crucial role in helping to reduce the stress experienced by family members of intensive care unit patients.

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Grief Reactions of Potential Organ Donors’ Bereaved Relatives: An Observational Study

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2020960 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 358-368

Author(s):

María Soria-Oliver ◽

Begoña Aramayona ◽

Jorge S. López ◽

María J. Martín ◽

José M. Martínez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Observational Study ◽

Organ Donation ◽

Family Members ◽

Hospital Staff ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Care Staff ◽

Health Care Staff ◽

Organ Donors

Background Most family members of potential organ donors experience the death of their relative in an intensive care unit. While under an emotional burden, bereaved relatives must make a decision that will affect the life of other patients. A better understanding of grief within the context of organ donation will help intensive care unit staff better support families during this process. Objectives To empirically describe the emotional reactions of potential organ donors’ family members facing a loved one’s death and analyze the relationship of these reactions to factors that occur in the process of illness and death. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted in 16 Spanish hospitals for 36 months. Data of 421 relatives of potential organ donors, collected through a previously validated instrument, included relatives’ emotional responses, deceased’s and relatives’ characteristics, circumstances of death, and behavior of health care staff. Results Unexpected deaths were linked to more intense emotional reactions and less acceptance of death than were anticipated deaths. Additional stressors, such as perception of poor treatment by hospital staff, perception of deficient medical care, and poor relationships among family members, were associated with stronger reactions. Conclusions Observation and analysis of the factors studied may help hospital staff members anticipate bereaved relatives’ emotional reactions and provide better support during the grieving process, increasing family members’ well-being and facilitating a better-informed organ donation decision.

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Family Needs of Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Units

International journal of epidemiologic research ◽

10.15171/ijer.2018.27 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 128-132

Author(s):

Fateme Hasandoost ◽

Maryam Momeni ◽

Leila Dehghankar ◽

Nastaran Norouzi Parashkouh ◽

Haydeh Rezaei Looyeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Organizational Support ◽

Family Members ◽

Educational Status ◽

Care Staff ◽

Teaching Hospitals ◽

Health Care Staff ◽

Family Needs ◽

Cross Sectional

Background and aims: Organizational support of family members of the patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) potentially reduces mental stresses and enables them to better comply with and support the patients. The current study aimed at evaluating the needs of families of the patients admitted to ICUs in teaching hospitals of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 using convenience sampling method. The Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) in 5 factors was used as a main data collection tool. The study population included 235 family members of the patients. Results: Total score of CCFNI was 132.32±18.46. Needs of family members of ICU patients decreased 0.428 times following the increase of length of stay in ICU (P<0.001). Moreover, the need for supportive cares was significantly 9.273 times lower among illiterate families, compared with the ones with higher education level (P<0.018). Conclusion: Considering that the highest need was in the area of support and the predictors of the family needs of the patients were the duration of hospitalization and the educational status of their families, the main focus of nurses should be on the support of family members of the patients admitted to the ICU and supporting and paying attention to their needs, who experience stressful conditions, to satisfy them and even to encourage them to give better care to the patient and help health care staff.

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Family-Centered Communication and Acute Stress in Israeli Intensive Care Units

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2019562 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 274-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Freda DeKeyser Ganz ◽

Gilat Yihye ◽

Nicole Beckman

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Family Members ◽

Personal Characteristics ◽

Perceived Stress Scale ◽

Stress Scale ◽

Family Centered

Background Intensive care unit stays can be stressful for patients’ family members. Family-centered communication has 6 components: fostering relationships, exchanging information, responding to emotions, managing uncertainty, making decisions, and enabling patient self-management. Whether these communication components decrease family members’ stress is unknown. Objective To describe levels of family-centered communication and associations with acute stress while patients are in the intensive care unit. Methods A convenience sample of 130 family members of patients in 2 intensive care units in a Jerusalem, Israel, tertiary medical center received a family-centered communication questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, and a personal characteristics questionnaire. Results Most respondents were women (n = 79, 60.8%), children of the patient (n = 67, 51.9%), and familiar with the patient’s diagnosis (n = 111, 85.4%). Mean (SD) participant age was 45.7 (13.6) years. Most considered the patient medically stable (n = 75, 57.7%). Mean (SD) intensive care unit stay was 7.45 (5.8) days. Mean (SD) total and item scores for family-centered communication were 98.75 (18.21) and 3.80 (0.70), respectively; for the Perceived Stress Scale, 19.63 (5.92) and 1.96 (0.59), respectively. Relationship building (r = −0.31, P = .002), participation in care management (r = −0.32, P = .001), and emotional support (r = −0.29, P = .003), and were significantly related to stress. Conclusions Stress levels were mild to moderate and communication scores were moderate to high. Better nurse communication with family members was associated with decreased acute stress, irrespective of personal characteristics or perceptions of the patient’s medical status.

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Evaluation of Shift Work on Bacterial Contamination of Cellular Phone of Health Care Staff at Adult Trauma Intensive Care Unit

Archives of Critical Care Medicine ◽

10.17795/accm-8566 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Mansoor Masjedi ◽

Azin Hamidi ◽

Monireh Feizi ◽

Hamidreza Abbasi

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Shift Work ◽

Bacterial Contamination ◽

Cellular Phone ◽

Care Staff ◽

Health Care Staff

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Barriers to reporting clinical errors in operating theatres and intensive care units of a university hospital: a qualitative study

BMC Nursing ◽

10.1186/s12912-021-00717-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sedighe Ghobadian ◽

Mansour Zahiri ◽

Behnaz Dindamal ◽

Hossein Dargahi ◽

Farzad Faraji-Khiavi

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Operating Theatre ◽

University Hospital ◽

Care Staff ◽

Health Care Staff ◽

Organizational Problems

Abstract Background Clinical errors are one of the challenges of health care in different countries, and obtaining accurate statistics regarding clinical errors in most countries is a difficult process which varies from one study to another. The current study was conducted to identify barriers to reporting clinical errors in the operating theatre and the intensive care unit of a university hospital. Methods This qualitative study was conducted in the operating theatre and intensive care unit of a university hospital. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews with health care staff, senior doctors, and surgical assistants. Data analysis was carried out through listening to the recorded interviews and developing transcripts of the interviews. Meaning units were identified and codified based on the type of discussion. Then, codes which had a common concept were grouped under one category. Finally, the codes and designated categories were analysed, discussed and confirmed by a panel of four experts of qualitative content analysis, and the main existing problems were identified and derived. Results Barriers to reporting clinical errors were extracted in two themes: individual problems and organizational problems. Individual problems included 4 categories and 12 codes and organizational problems included 6 categories and 17 codes. The results showed that in the majority of cases, nurses expressed their desire to change the current prevailing attitudes in the workplace while doctors expected the officials to implement reform policies regarding clinical errors in university hospitals. Conclusion In order to alleviate the barriers to reporting clinical errors, both individual and organizational problems should be addressed and resolved. At an individual level, training nursing and medical teams on error recognition is recommended. In order to solve organizational problems, on the other hand, the process of reporting clinical errors should be improved as far as the nursing team is concerned, but when it comes to the medical team, addressing legal loopholes should be given full consideration.

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Psychological Symptoms of Family Members of High-Risk Intensive Care Unit Patients

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2012582 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 386-394 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

J. L. McAdam ◽

D. K. Fontaine ◽

D. B. White ◽

K. A. Dracup ◽

K. A. Puntillo

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

High Risk ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Family Members

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Is There Sufficient Training of Health Care Staff on Noise Reduction in Neonatal Intensive Care Units? a Pilot Study From Neonoise Project

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A ◽

10.1080/15287394.2015.1051204 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 78 (13-14) ◽

pp. 897-903 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Carlos Carvalhais ◽

Joana Santos ◽

Manuela Vieira da Silva ◽

Ana Xavier

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Noise Reduction ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Care Staff ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Units ◽

Health Care Staff

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Visiting Preferences of Patients in the Intensive Care Unit and in a Complex Care Medical Unit

American Journal of Critical Care ◽

10.4037/ajcc2004.13.3.194 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 194-198 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

Colleen E. Gonzalez ◽

Diane L. Carroll ◽

Jeanne S. Elliott ◽

Patricia A. Fitzgerald ◽

Heather J. Vallent

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Intensive Care Units ◽

Family Members ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Complex Care ◽

Medical Unit ◽

Healthcare Environment ◽

Perceived Satisfaction

• Background Within the challenging healthcare environment are nurses, patients, and patients’ families. Families want proximity to their loved ones, but the benefits of such proximity depend on patients’ conditions and family-patient dynamics. • Objectives To describe patients’ preferences for family visiting in an intensive care unit and a complex care medical unit. • Methods Sixty-two patients participated in a structured interview that assessed patients’ preferences for visiting, stressors and benefits of visiting, and patients’ perceived satisfaction with hospital guidelines for visiting. • Results Patients in both units rated visiting as a nonstressful experience because visitors offered moderate levels of reassurance, comfort, and calming. Patients in the intensive care unit worried more about their families than did patients in the complex care medical unit but valued the fact that visitors could interpret information for the patients while providing information to assist the nurse in understanding the patients. Patients in the intensive care unit were more satisfied with visiting practices than were patients in the complex care medical unit, although both groups preferred visits of 35 to 55 minutes, 3 to 4 times a day, and with usually no more than 3 visitors. • Conclusions These data provide the input of patients in the ongoing discussion of visiting practices in both intensive care units and complex care medical units. Patients were very satisfied with a visiting guideline that is flexible enough to meet their needs and those of their family members.

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