title: Family participation in care to the critically ill: opinions of families and staff.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Service de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 1 Avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75010 Paris, France. elie.azoulay@sls.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azoulay
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pochard
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chevret
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arich
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brivet
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brun
authors.forename: Pierre-Emmanuel
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Desmettre
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galliot
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garrouste-Orgeas
authors.forename: Dany
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldgran-Toledano
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Herbecq
authors.forename: Luc-Marie
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Joly
authors.forename: Mercé
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jourdain
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaidomar
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lepape
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Letellier
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Marie
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parrot
authors.forename: Pierre-Andre
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rodie-Talbere
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sermet
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tenaillon
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thuong
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tulasne
authors.forename: Jean-Roger
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Le Gall
authors.forename: Benot
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schlemmer
mesh_terms: 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