Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Volume 23, Issue 3 , Pages 170-177 , June 2007

Relatives’ experiences in intensive care—Finding a place in a world of uncertainty

  • Anne Sophie Ågård

      Affiliations

    • Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Skejby Sygehus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +45 8949 8833; fax: +45 8949 8809.
  • ,
  • Ingegerd Harder

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Public Health, Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark

,Accepted 24 November 2006.

References 

  1. Bijttebier P, Delva D, Vanoost S, Bobbaers H, Lauwers P, Vertommen H. Reliability and validity of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory in a Dutch-speaking Belgian sample. Heart Lung. 2000;(29):278–286
  2. Brown R, Deeny PMD. Family needs in critical care settings: a comparison of the perceptions of nurses and family members. Ireland J Nurs Midwifery. 2000;1(3):108–115
  3. Burr G. Contextualizing critical care family needs through triangulation: an Australian study. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 1998;14(4):161–169
  4. Chartier L, Coutu-Wakulczyk G. Families in ICU: their needs and anxiety levels. Intens Care Nurs. 1989;(5):11–18
  5. Chesla CA, Stannard D. Breakdown of the Nursing Care of Families in the ICU. Am J Crit Care. 1997;6(1):64–71
  6. Coulter MA. The needs of family members of patients in intensive care units. Intens Care Nurs. 1989;(5):4–10
  7. Curtis NM. Caring for families during the “Unknown” period. Dimensions Crit Care Nurs. 1983;2(4):248–254
  8. Daley L. The perceived immediate needs of families with relatives in the intensive care setting. Heart Lung. 1984;13(3):231–237
  9. Davis-Martin S. Perceived needs of families of long-term critical care patients: a brief report. Heart Lung. 1994;23(6):515–518
  10. Dyer I. Research into visitor needs using Molter's tool—time to move on. Nurs Crit Care. 1997;2(6):285–290
  11. Engström A, Söderberg S. The experiences of partners of critically ill persons in an intensive care unit. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 2004;20(5):299–308
  12. Freichels TA. Needs of family members of patients in the intensive care unit over time. Crit. Care Nurs. Q. 1991;14(3):16–29
  13. Glaser BG, Strauss AL. The discovery of Grounded Theory: strategies for qualitative research. Hawthorne, New York: Aldine de Gruyter; 1967;
  14. Hickey M. What are the needs of families of critically ill patients? A review of the literature since 1976. Heart Lung. 1990;19(4):401–415
  15. Holden J, Harrison L, Johnson M. Families, nurses and intensive care patients: a review of the literature. J Clin Nurs. 2002;11(2):140–148
  16. Hughes F, Bryan K, Robbins I. Relatives’ experiences of critical care. Nurs Crit Care. 2005;10(1):23–30
  17. Hupcey JE. Looking out for the patient and ourselves—the process of family integration into the ICU. J Clin Nurs. 1999;8(3):253–262
  18. Hupcey JE, Penrod J. Going it alone: the experiences of spouses of critically ill patients. Dimensions Crit Care Nurs. 2000;19(3):44–49
  19. Jamerson PA, Scheibmeir M, Bott MJ, Crighton F, Hinton RH, Cobb AK. The experiences of families with a relative in the intensive care unit. Heart Lung. 1996;25(6):467–474
  20. Johansson I, Fridlund B, Hildingh C. What is supportive when an adult next-of-kin is in critical care?. Nurs Crit Care. 2005;10(6):289–298
  21. Kirchhoff KT, Song MK, Kehl K. Caring for the family of the critically ill patient. Crit Care Clin. 2004;20(3):453–466
  22. Kvale S. InterViews. An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications; 1996;
  23. Lam P, Beaulieu M. Experiences of families in the neurological ICU: a “bedside phenomenon”. J Neurosci Nurs. 2004;36(3):142–145
  24. Lee LY, Lau YL. Immediate needs of adult family members of adult intensive care patients in Hong Kong. J Clin Nurs. 2003;12(4):490–500
  25. Lee IYM, Chien WT, Mackenzie AE. Needs of families with a relative in a critical care unit in Hong Kong. J Clin Nurs. 2000;(9):46–54
  26. Leske JS. Needs of relatives of critically ill patients: a follow-up. Heart Lung. 1986;15(2):189–193
  27. Lynn-McHale DJ, Bellinger A. Need satisfaction levels of family members of critical care patients and accuracy of nurses’ perceptions. Heart Lung. 1988;17(4):447–453
  28. Mathis M. Personal needs of family members of critically ill patients with and without acute brain injury. J Neurosurg Nurs. 1984;16(1):36–44
  29. Mendonca D, Warren NA. Perceived and unmet needs of critical care family members. Crit. Care Nurs. Q. 1998;21(1):58–67
  30. Miller JF. Inspiring hope. Am J Nurs. 1985;(1):22–25
  31. Molter NM. Needs of relatives of critically ill patients: a descriptive study. Heart Lung. 1979;8(2):332–339
  32. Morse JM, Penrod J. Linking concepts of enduring, uncertainty, suffering and hope. J Nurs Scholarship. 1999;31(2):145–150
  33. O’Malley P, et al. Critical care nurse perceptions of family needs. Heart Lung. 1991;20(2):189–201
  34. Quinn S, Redmond K, Begley C. The needs of relatives visiting adult critical care units as perceived by relatives and nurses. Part 2. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 1996;12(4):239–245
  35. Quinn S, Redmond K, Begley C. The needs of relatives visiting adult critical care units as perceived by relatives and nurses. Part I. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 1996;12(3):168–172
  36. Söderström I-M, Benzein E, Saveman BI. Nurses’ experiences of interactions with family members in intensive care units. Scand J Caring Sci. 2003;17(2):185–192
  37. Strauss AL, Corbin J. Basics of qualitative research. Techniques and procedures for developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications; 1998;
  38. Titler MG, Cohen MZ, Craft MJ. Impact of adult critical care hospitalization: perceptions of patients, spouses, children and nurses. Heart Lung. 1991;20(2):174–181
  39. Verhaeghe S, Defloor T, Van Zuuren F, Duijnstee M, Grypdonck M. The needs and experiences of family members of adult patients in an intensive care unit: a review of the literature. J Clin Nurs. 2005;14(4):501–509
  40. Wilkinson P. A qualitative study to establish the selfperceived needs of family members of patients in a general intensive care unit. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 1995;11(2):77–86
  41. Williams CM. The identification of family members’ contribution to patients’ care in the intensive care unit: a naturalistic inquiry. Nurs Crit Care. 2005;10(1):6–14

PII: S0964-3397(06)00145-5

doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2006.11.008

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Volume 23, Issue 3 , Pages 170-177 , June 2007