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Family Members’ Experiences in Adult Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review Publisher Pubmed



Imanipour M1, 2 ; Kiwanuka F3 ; Akhavan Rad S4 ; Masaba R5 ; Alemayehu YH3, 6
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  3. 3. Department of critical care nursing, School of nursing and midwifery, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Alemah Ghazvini University, Qazvin, Iran
  5. 5. School of Nursing, Clarke International University, Kampala, Uganda
  6. 6. Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle University College of Health Sciences, Mekelle, Ethiopia

Source: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences Published:2019


Abstract

Background: Admission to Intensive Care Units (ICU) exposures family members to a new environment, advanced monitoring systems and aggressive treatments. This is coupled with the critical condition of the patient being admitted in ICU. In such times of stress and crisis, families have varying experiences as they navigate the ICU journey. These happen more or less in chronological phases. Aim: This review sought to describe the experiences of family members of patients admitted in adult ICUs. Data sources: Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched, using keywords and free-text words. Methods: Curation of the review question involved problem identification, a scoping search, developing a search strategy, evaluation, data analysis, and reporting. Freehand search in reference lists of eligible articles was also done to obtain potentially eligible articles published in English language between 2007 and 2018. Studies were included if they reported on family members’ experiences in adult ICUs. This review conforms to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Results: Upon completion of the screening process, 28 studies were included. Most studies were conducted in the United States while no study was identified from Africa. We report on 717 family members. Family members’ experience of the ICU journey falls into three main themes: (i) Floating, (ii) Probing and (iii) Continuity or Closure. Conclusion: As healthcare technology advances, the ICU environment consequently needs to evolve. As such, healthcare providers will need to adjust their practice, support and consider the patients’ family as the other part of the patient and members of the care team in order to meet their expectations. Further research highlighting family members’ experience of the ICU journey in Africa is needed. © 2019 Nordic College of Caring Science
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