Expectations and needs of persons with family members in an intensive care unit as opposed to a general ward.

The positive effect of family support on the outcome from serious illness that requires intensive care has been recognized by clinicians for decades. We have all seen that family visitation and an intensive care environment more similar to that of a general ward (sunlight, radio, television) can benefit patients with psychosis related to intensive care. The severity of illness of the individual patient exerts a powerful stress on the family unit, but it has been difficult to measure this effect. We used a 40-question family needs survey with a degree of importance scale to compare the intensive care unit (ICU) with the general ward in terms of impact on the family. Five needs were found to discriminate these two environments. The family members of patients in an ICU considered it very important (1) for staff to give directions on what to do at the bedside, (2) to receive more support from their own family unit, (3) to have a place to be alone as a family unit in the hospital, (4) to be informed in advance of any transfer plan, and (5) to have flexibility in the time allowed for visitation. Family members are willing to accept decreased visitation time if the physicians and nurses can equate this decrease with the complexity of care in the ICU. The results of this survey have helped us modify and individualize our approach based on family expectations especially when patients are transferred from the general ward to the ICU or from the ICU to the ward.