What is it about?
This study aimed to explore what patients rate as being of the greatest importance when being cared for in an intensive care unit. Results showed that patients rated items related to relationships and caring atmosphere as more important than item related to physical help and support. Having trust/confidence in staff was rated as the most important of all, followed by receiving visits from next of kin, staff showing human warmth, and staff trying to strengthen my life spirit. The aim of the study was also to examine how often different needs were met when cared for in the ICU. Result showed that 98 % of the 268 patients received the pain relief they needed “all the time” (81%), or “most of the time” (17%) and 69% often received visits from their next of kin. Least often satisfied were the need to have influence on things the patient wanted to have influence over (18 %) and to receive help to look forward (20 %).
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Why is it important?
It is of great importance to ICU patients to strengthen their life spirit and fighting spirit. Next of kin are invaluable with regard to this issue, but staff members could be much better at helping the patient maintain contact with reality, remind them about their importance for someone or something, and what they could look forward to when becoming healthier and returning to ordinary life. Pain relief is very important to ICU patients and seems to be well-functioning in Swedish ICUs. Sleep could, however, be facilitated by dimmed lights and noise reduction through avoidance of unnecessary chatter, especially at nights. ICU patients have difficulties understanding information and wish more information about, for example, what has happened, why they are not allowed to drink, and that strange thoughts or dreams are common when being seriously sick and cared for in the ICU. Some ICU patients would also like information about reasons for and results of performed tests and examinations.
Perspectives
Intensive care patients rated trust in staff as the most important need of all. This need is highly fulfilled, but a few staff members are experienced as arrogant, having a hard attitude and a lack of empathy. These individuals cause the vulnerable ICU patient a lot of anxiety and suffering, which underlines the importance of finding ways to engage all staff members in discussions about attitudes and working climate and about what ICU patients rate as most important.
Ingrid Wåhlin
Landstinget i Kalmar lan
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: What do patients rate as most important when cared for in the ICU and how often is this met? – An empowerment questionnaire survey, Journal of Critical Care, August 2017, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2017.03.004.
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