[Dying and death in a surgical intensive care unit from the viewpoint of close relatives--a questionnaire survey].

No studies are available so far on the way dying and death in the ICU are perceived by relatives of the patients. It is also not clear in how far the current criticism of intensive care medicine stems from these relatives. These problems were investigated by sending a self-developed 48-item questionnaire to relatives of patients who had died in the ICU. The questions centred on the following subjects: Communication and information structures Perception of the ICU and emotional reaction Assessment of treatment Dying and death in the ICU. Of 181 questionnaires distributed, 145 (85.3%) were returned. We present the replies of the 109 persons who visited their relatives in the ICU. The majority regarded themselves as well informed. Initial impressions were a high technical and medical standard. Emotional reactions to ICU treatment of a relative alternated between anxiety and hope with the dominant impression that the patient received the best possible therapy. However, the treatment was not perceived as an artificial prolongation of life. Although death loses dignity in the ICU according to those questioned, dying in peace does seem possible in this situation. The high response rate, the positive general assessment and the critical view of death in the ICU are discussed in the following.