scholarly journals Family members' lived experiences when a loved one undergoes an interhospital intensive care unit‐to‐unit transfer: A phenomenological hermeneutical study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Karlsson ◽  
Thomas Eriksson ◽  
Berit Lindahl ◽  
Isabell Fridh
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Loved One

The Vortex: Families’ Experiences With Death in the Intensive Care Unit

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin T. Kirchhoff ◽  
Lee Walker ◽  
Ann Hutton ◽  
Vicki Spuhler ◽  
Beth Vaughan Cole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Terminal Condition ◽  
Loved One ◽  
The Family ◽  
Downward Spiral ◽  
Eventual Loss

• Background Lack of communication from healthcare providers contributes to the anxiety and distress reported by patients’ families after a patient’s death in the intensive care unit.• Objective To obtain a detailed picture of the experiences of family members during the hospitalization and death of a loved one in the intensive care unit.• Methods A qualitative study with 4 focus groups was used. All eligible family members from 8 intensive care units were contacted by telephone; 8 members agreed to participate.• Results The experiences of the family members resembled a vortex: a downward spiral of prognoses, difficult decisions, feelings of inadequacy, and eventual loss despite the members’ best efforts, and perhaps no good-byes. Communication, or its lack, was a consistent theme. The participants relied on nurses to keep informed about the patients’ condition and reactions. Although some participants were satisfied with this information, they wished for more detailed explanations of procedures and consequences. Those family members who thought that the best possible outcome had been achieved had had a physician available to them, options for treatment presented and discussed, and family decisions honored.• Conclusions Uncertainty about the prognosis of the patient, decisions that families make before a terminal condition, what to expect during dying, and the extent of a patient’s suffering pervade families’ end-of-life experiences in the intensive care unit. Families’ information about the patient is often lacking or inadequate. The best antidote for families’ uncertainty is effective communication.

Family and Clinician Experiences of Sympathy Cards in the 3 Wishes Project

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-428
Author(s):  
Alyson Takaoka ◽  
Meredith Vanstone ◽  
Thanh H. Neville ◽  
Sophia Goksoyr ◽  
Marilyn Swinton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Shared Humanity ◽  
Clinician Experiences ◽  
Conventional Content Analysis ◽  
Bereaved Family

Background A recent randomized trial of bereaved family members of patients who died in an intensive care unit identified symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress in recipients of semistructured condolence letters. Objectives To explore family member and clinician experiences with receiving or sending handwritten sympathy cards upon the death of patients involved in a personalized end-of-life intervention, the 3 Wishes Project. Methods Interviews and focus groups were held with 171 family members and 222 clinicians at 4 centers to discuss their experiences with the 3 Wishes Project. Interview transcripts were searched to identify participants who discussed sympathy cards. Data related to sympathy cards were independently coded by 2 investigators through conventional content analysis. Results Sympathy cards were discussed during 32 interviews (by 25 family members of 21 patients and by 11 clinicians) and 2 focus groups (8 other clinicians). Family members reported that personalized sympathy cards were a welcome surprise; they experienced them as a heartfelt act of compassion. Clinicians viewed cards as an opportunity to express shared humanity with families, reminding them that they and their loved one were not forgotten. Signing cards allowed clinicians to reminisce individually and collectively with colleagues. Family members and clinicians experienced sympathy cards as a meaningful continuation of care after a patient’s death. Conclusions Inviting clinicians who cared for deceased patients to offer personalized, handwritten condolences to bereaved family members may cultivate sincere and individualized expressions of sympathy that bereaved families appreciate after the death of patients involved in the 3 Wishes Project.

scholarly journals The Lived Experiences of Family Members of Covid-19 Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit: A Phenomenological Study

Heart & Lung ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Bartoli ◽  
Francesca Trotta ◽  
Silvio Simeone ◽  
Gianluca Pucciarelli ◽  
Giovanni Battista Orsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Family Members

scholarly journals Perspective of family members regarding the process of dying in the intensive care unit

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 751-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thieli Lemos de Souza ◽  
Sofia Louise Santin Barilli ◽  
Nára Selaimem Gaertner de Azeredo
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Public Hospital ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Porto Alegre ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The Family

This study aimed to investigate the perspective of family members on end-of-life in the Intensive Care Unit. This is an exploratory descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Semi-structured individual interviews were held with eight family members of terminally-ill patients receiving inpatient treatment in an Intensive Care Unit in a public hospital in Porto Alegre, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul . The method of content analysis was used for data analysis. During the process of dying, it was evident that the feelings experienced by the family members were diverse, including distress, insecurity, anger, guilt and missing the loved one. Also demonstrated by the family members were the importance of being with the loved person, and the desire to establish a link between the team-patient-family

Family Members’ Experiences With Bereavement in the Intensive Care Unit

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey Jones ◽  
Kathleen Puntillo ◽  
Doranne Donesky ◽  
Jennifer L. McAdam
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Grieving Process ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Insight Into

Background Losing a loved one in the intensive care unit can be challenging for families. Providing bereavement support may assist in the grieving process. Objective To describe family members’ experiences with bereavement after the death of a loved one in the intensive care unit. Methods This secondary analysis used an exploratory, descriptive design to study family members’ experiences with bereavement. Family members of patients from 2 intensive care units in a tertiary medical center in the western United States participated. Audiotaped telephone interviews using a semistructured questionnaire were conducted. A qualitative, descriptive technique was used for data analysis. Two independent raters coded transcripts of audiotaped interviews with family members about their bereavement experiences. Results Seventeen family members participated in the study. Most participants were female (n = 12; 71%) and spouses of deceased patients (n = 14; 82%), and their mean (SD) age was 62.4 (10.0) years. Three themes emerged: (1) bereavement was an individual experience; (2) situations occurring during the intensive care unit encounter remained significant for family members beyond a year after the death; and (3) social, cultural, spiritual, and religious events after the death hold importance for families of patients in the intensive care unit. Conclusions Bereavement is a challenging experience for families of deceased intensive care unit patients. The themes identified in this study add insight into the experiences of these family members. The results of this study may guide future interventions to help support bereaved families of intensive care unit patients.

Healing experience for family caregivers after an intensive care unit death

2019 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2018-001561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan DeSanto-Madeya ◽  
Dan Willis ◽  
Julie McLaughlin ◽  
Aristotle Boslet
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study ◽  
Purposive Sample

ObjectivesFamily caregivers suffer a high burden of emotional and psychological distress following the death of a loved one in the intensive care unit and often struggle to heal in the weeks following their loss. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe and interpret the experience of healing for family caregivers six weeks following the death of a loved one in the ICU.MethodsSemi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of twenty-four family caregivers six weeks following the death of their loved ones in the ICU. Qualitative analysis techniques were used to identify common themes central to the experience of healing across all interviews.ResultsSeven themes were interpreted from the data: searching for clarity from a time of uncertainty; riding an emotional rollercoaster; seeking peace in one’s decisions; moving forward with each new day; taking comfort in the memories; valuing layers of support; and discovering life on one’s own.ConclusionBy identifying and gaining an understanding of healing following the death of a loved one in the ICU, nursing and other healthcare providers have an opportunity to promote healing and positively impact family caregiver’s bereavement.

scholarly journals Families' perception, knowledge, and psychological stressors associated with transition of care from the intensive care unit

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-56
Author(s):  
Gustavo Ferrer ◽  
Chi Chan Lee ◽  
Monica Egozcue ◽  
Hector Vazquez ◽  
Melissa Elizee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Expected Improvement ◽  
Transition Of Care ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Icu Discharge ◽  
Family Perceptions

Background: During the process of transition of care from the intensive care setting, clarity, and understanding are vital to a patient's outcome. A successful transition of care requires collaboration between health-care providers and the patient's family. The objective of this project was to assess the quality of continuity of care with regard to family perceptions, education provided, and psychological stress during the process. Methods: A prospective study conducted in a long-term acute care (LTAC) facility. On admission, family members of individuals admitted to the LTAC were asked to fill out a 15-item questionnaire with regard to their experiences from preceding intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization. The setting was an LTAC facility. Patients were admitted to an LTAC after ICU admission. Results: Seventy-six participants completed the questionnaire: 38% expected a complete recovery, 61% expected improvement with disabilities, and 1.3% expected no recovery. With regard to the length of stay in the LTAC, 11% expected < 1 week, 26% expected 1 to 2 weeks, 21% expected 3 to 4 weeks, and 42% were not sure. Before ICU discharge, 33% of the participants expected the transfer to the LTAC. Also, 72% did not report a satisfactory level of knowledge regarding their family's clinical condition or medical services required; 21% did not receive help from family members; and 50% reported anxiety, 20% reported depression, and 29% reported insomnia. Conclusion: Families' perception of patients' prognosis and disposition can be different from what was communicated by the physician. Families' anxiety and emotional stress may precipitate this discrepancy. The establishment of optimal projects to eliminate communication barriers and educate family members will undoubtedly improve the quality of transition of care from the ICU.

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