title: [The needs of relatives of patients admitted to intensive care units in the Trentino region].
abstract: The perception of needs of relatives of patients admitted to the Coronary Care Units (CCUs) and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the Trentino region was investigated by interviewing 50 relatives and 72 nurses. The questionnaire used for the survey included a list of 31 potential needs of a relative. Relatives and nurses were asked to select 10 needs and rank them according to the perceived priority; the nurses were also requested to rate the level of satisfaction related to each need, on a scale from 1 to 4. The data were collected over a period of 50 days, from the end of May to the beginning of July. The priority ranking of needs by relatives was as follows: being sure that the patient receives the best possible care; that the relative could see a doctor at least once a day; and being contacted and informed on every clinically relevant change in the health-illness status of the hospitalised relative. There was a good correspondence between relatives and nurses' perceptions while no significant differences in the perception of needs was observed between relatives interviewed in CCUs and ICUs, neither between nurses with different levels of expertise. Nurses perceive that the priority needs identified by the relatives are reasonably satisfied.
authors.affiliation: Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari di Trento.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magotti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saiani
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Drigo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires