Informational Needs of the Families of Patients Discharged From Intensive Care Units: A Case of Iran

Critically ill patients' experiences of nursing care and the effect on their personhood: A retrospective study

AIM

This study aims to report patients' experiences of nursing care in the critical care unit and the resulting effect of such care on the personhood of patients.

DESIGN AND METHOD

The study adopted a qualitative design and aimed to include both descriptive and exploratory information. It involved a single participant group comprising ten previously critically ill patients with whom retrospective, semi-structured interviews were conducted in a natural setting during 2018. Private hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa, were targeted for data collection.

RESULTS

The findings of this study were categorised and described according to Kitwood's conceptualisation of person-centred care. Five categories were identified by patients as impacting their personhood and perceived person-centred care.

CONCLUSION

Nurses ability to support perceived personhood of patients during person-centred care is integral to the betterment of the patient. Patient's experiences of nursing care can often be affected if they perceive their personhood as not being valued by nurses. This study creates increased awareness of these components to ensure that patient-nurse relationships are established adequately to meet both the patients' and the nurses' needs.

Effectiveness of a Supportive Program on Caregiver Burden of Families Caring for Patients on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation at Home: An Experimental Study

The prevalence of patients on mechanical ventilation who are being supported at home is increasing. Due to these patients' complex and chronic conditions, the subjective burden on their family caregivers increases after discharge. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a supportive home care program on the caregiver burden of families caring for patients on invasive mechanical ventilation at home. Sixty patients hospitalized in three university-affiliated hospitals in Tehran, Iran between 7/2020 and 8/2021 were randomly assigned to one of two groups: A supportive home care program, and routine hospital education. The supportive home care program included six educational sessions delivered in the hospital before discharge, and home visits and continued education after discharge. Caregiver burden was measured using the Zarit Burden Interview. Results showed that caregiver burden increased significantly (p ≥ .001) after discharge without the supportive home care program intervention. Follow-up by nurses after discharge is essential to reduce the psychological burden of caring for patients on invasive mechanical ventilation at home.

The expressed support needs of families of adults who have survived critical illness: A thematic synthesis

BACKGROUND

Surviving critical illness can result in ongoing psychological, physical and cognitive impairments for both survivors and families. During the time from the critical illness through to the period of adaptation back to community living, families, alongside survivors, have support needs.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aimed to provide an in-depth insight into the expressed support needs of families of adults who survived an admission to an intensive care unit and returned to a home environment. It also aimed to explore how these needs change over time, and what support provisions families perceived to be helpful.

METHODS

This was a systematic review using thematic synthesis methodology. Predefined searches were conducted in CINAHL, Medline, PsychINFO, SocIndex, EMbase, Academic Search Complete, EThOS and OpenGrey to locate studies published in English from 2000. Two reviewers screened each study against the inclusion criteria. Quality appraisal was undertaken using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Extracted data were managed in Nvivo12® and analysed to identify descriptive and analytical themes. The Timing it Right Framework was used to frame changes in need across the recovery continuum.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine studies were included, 30 qualitative, eight quantitative and one mixed methods. Five key family needs were identified across the recovery continuum: for security; to make sense of the situation; finding a balance; holding everything together; and for trust.

DISCUSSION

Families found the following interventions helpful: written information; care coordination and navigation; input from intensive care staff after discharge to support continuity; and provision of family support groups. Although there are similarities between the needs of families and survivors, there are sufficient differences to warrant the development of processes to identify and address family need throughout the recovery continuum.

CONCLUSION

More research is required to develop a tool to better identify the needs of families across the recovery continuum, identify gaps in current service provision, and design interventions to meet these needs.

STUDY REGISTRATION

CRD42019136883 (PROSPERO).

The Educational Needs of Family of Patients Discharged from the Intensive Care Units: The Viewpoints of Nurses and the Patients' Families

Introduction

Thousands of patients are admitted to the intensive care units annually, which are stressful for patients and their families. The discharged patients and their families face different challenges in the caring process of the patients.

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the educational needs of the families of patients discharged directly home from the postintensive care units and to compare the views of families and nurses about these needs.

Method

This was a cross-sectional study. One hundred forty nurses and 140 family members of the patients discharged from intensive care units participated in the survey by convenience sampling method. A questionnaire of sociodemographic information and a researcher-made questionnaire on the educational needs of the family of patients discharged from the postintensive care units were used for data collection.

Results

The mean total score of the educational needs of the patients' families was 31.81 and 35.33 from views of families and nurses, respectively. Nurses significantly estimated the educational needs of families more than what they did (P < 0.001). The families and nurses reported the educational needs of self-care as well as nutrition and medicine at the highest level, respectively. Both groups reported the educational needs of defecation at the lowest level. Nurses estimated higher educational needs in all dimensions, except for the patient's mental health and family self-care than families (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

According to the present study, the educational needs were high from the views of nurses and families. Family need assessment is essential in designing and applying instructional interventions. Given the high level of family needs, implementing educational and practical interventions is necessary to enhance their skills.