Increasing satisfaction with care in families of critically ill adults
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Increasing family satisfaction with care:The effects of a structured communication strategy in families of critically ill adults.
IRAS ID
171941
Contact name
Pamela Scott
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Stirling
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Serious illness often occurs without warning. Where serious illness occurs families must rapidly adjust living with the daily stress of whether their loved one will survive. Family members of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have commented that communication with health care professionals such as doctors and nurses can be a problem. A lack of clear written and verbal information between staff who work in the ICU and families is often linked with anxiety and dissatisfaction with care. Adequate information regarding their loved ones diagnosis, treatment and prognosis reduces worry and anxiety and improves satisfaction with care.
Routine and carefully pre-planned family meetings have been found to improve patient care and coping in bereaved families. However, by focusing on end of life care we run the risk of forgetting the families of patients who may survive their ICU stay. There is evidence that family members of patients who survive ICU are actually less satisfied than family of patients who die in ICU. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a well planned communication strategy which concludes in the delivery of a family meeting improves overall satisfaction with care in family members of surviving ICU patients.
The study will be carried out in an ICU of a District General Hospital in Scotland. The next of kin of each seriously ill patient will be recruited to the study over a six month period. Each family member will be assigned to receive either a structured communication strategy consisting of a set of activities that finishes in a structured family meeting (within 72 hours of ICU admission) (Intervention group) or existing family communication arrangements already operational in the study site ICU (Control group). Three self report - satisfaction with care, with anxiety and uncertainty in illness will be administered by a research nurse within 48 hours of ICU admission and prior to ICU discharge from ICU.REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
16/WS/0055
Date of REC Opinion
1 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion