Family participation in care to the critically ill: opinions of families and staff.
BACKGROUND
Allowing family members to participate in the care of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) may improve the quality of their experience. No previous study has investigated opinions about family participation in ICUs.


METHODS
Prospective multicenter survey in 78 ICUs (1,184 beds) in France involving 2,754 ICU caregivers and 544 family members of 357 consecutive patients. We determined opinions and experience about family participation in care; comprehension (of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment) and satisfaction (Critical Care Family Needs Inventory) scores to assess the effectiveness of information to families and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression score for family members.


RESULTS
Among caregivers 88.2% felt that participation in care should be offered to families. Only 33.4% of family members wanted to participate in care. Independent predictors of this desire fell into three groups: patient-related (SAPS II at ICU admission, OR 0.984); ICU stay length, OR 1.021), family-related (family member age, OR 0.97/year); family not of European descent, OR 0.294); previous ICU experience in the family, OR 1.59), and those related to emotional burden and effectiveness of information provided to family members (symptoms of depression in family members, OR 1.58); more time wanted for information, OR 1.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Most ICU caregivers are willing to invite family members to participate in patient care, but most family members would decline.
Azoulay
Elie
E
Service de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France. elie.azoulay@sls.ap-hop-paris.fr
Pochard
Frédéric
F
Chevret
Sylvie
S
Arich
Charles
C
Brivet
François
F
Brun
Frédéric
F
Charles
Pierre-Emmanuel
PE
Desmettre
Thibaut
T
Dubois
Didier
D
Galliot
Richard
R
Garrouste-Orgeas
Maite
M
Goldgran-Toledano
Dany
D
Herbecq
Patrick
P
Joly
Luc-Marie
LM
Jourdain
Mercé
M
Kaidomar
Michel
M
Lepape
Alain
A
Letellier
Nicolas
N
Marie
Olivier
O
Page
Bernard
B
Parrot
Antoine
A
Rodie-Talbere
Pierre-Andre
PA
Sermet
Alain
A
Tenaillon
Alain
A
Thuong
Marie
M
Tulasne
Patrick
P
Le Gall
Jean-Roger
JR
Schlemmer
Benot
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011446:Prospective Studies