title: Important questions asked by family members of intensive care unit patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Relatives often lack important information about intensive care unit patients. High-quality information is crucial to help relatives overcome the often considerable situational stress and to acquire the ability to participate in the decision-making process, most notably regarding the appropriate level of care. We aimed to develop a list of questions important for relatives of patients in the intensive care unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a multicenter study. Questions asked by relatives of intensive care unit patients were collected from five different sources (literature, panel of 28 intensive care unit nurses and physicians, 1-wk survey of nurses and 1-wk survey of physicians in 14 intensive care units, and in-depth interviews with 14 families). After a qualitative analysis (framework approach and thematic analysis), questions were rated by 22 relatives and 14 intensive care unit physicians, and the ratings were analyzed using principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The five sources produced 2,135 questions. Removal of duplicates and redundancies left 443 questions, which were distributed among nine predefined domains using a framework approach ("diagnosis," "treatment," "prognosis," "comfort," "interaction," "communication," "family," "end of life," and "postintensive care unit management"). Thematic analysis in each domain led to the identification of 46 themes, which were reworded as 46 different questions. Ratings by relatives and physicians showed that 21 of these questions were particularly important for relatives of intensive care unit patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study increases knowledge about the informational needs of relatives of intensive care unit patients. This list of questions may prove valuable for both relatives and intensive care unit physicians as a tool for improving communication in the intensive care unit.
authors.affiliation: AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Medical ICU, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peigne
authors.forename: Marine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chaize
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Falissard
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kentish-Barnes
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rusinova
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Megarbane
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bele
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cariou
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fieux
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garrouste-Orgeas
authors.forename: Hugues
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Georges
authors.forename: Merce
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jourdain
authors.forename: Achille
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kouatchet
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lautrette
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Legriel
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Regnier
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Renault
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thirion
authors.forename: Jean-Francois
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Timsit
authors.forename: Dany
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Toledano
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chevret
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pochard
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schlemmer
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azoulay
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011368:Professional-Family Relations