title: Family advocates: caring for families in crisis.
abstract: Families of patients unexpectedly brought to the emergency department or transferred to the intensive care unit are families in crisis. In the greater scheme of things, they may not be a priority. This article discusses a program in which family advocates care for families just as nurses and physicians care for the critically ill patient.
authors.affiliation: Johnson City Medical Center, Johnson City, Tenn, USA.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Washington
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D016638:Critical Illness; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D016730:Program Development