title: Impact of fast-track discharge from cardiothoracic intensive care on family satisfaction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dissatisfaction with the intensive care unit may threaten medical care. Clarifying treatment preferences can be useful in these settings, where physician direction may influence decision making and therefore medical treatment. This study aimed to evaluate whether fast-track discharge from intensive care units affects the satisfaction of family members.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a single-center non-randomized trial, with all eligible family members involved. To evaluate family satisfaction, we used the Society of Critical Care Family Needs Assessment questionnaire (SCCMFNAQ). We hypothesized that those discharged within 24 h of intensive care unit admission and their families would have higher levels of satisfaction. Patients were scored using the therapeutic interventions scoring system (TISS) and additive EuroSCORE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-hundred fifty-five family members were enrolled. The mean patient age was 53 years, and 92 % were male. The median satisfaction level among family members was 17.9 (range 14-31). Patients were divided into two groups, one receiving fast-track discharge (116 patients), and one whose members stayed longer (139 patients). The overall satisfaction was affected significantly by quality of the delivered care and dissatisfaction increased by lack of comfort in hospital settings, including the waiting room. No significant differences were seen between the two groups for overall satisfaction (p = 0.546) and individual components of the questionnaire. Higher satisfaction was linked to higher levels of education among family members (p = 0.045) and information being relayed by a senior physician p = 0.03 (two-tailed test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fast-track discharge from intensive care did not influence family satisfaction as hypothesized. Satisfaction relied on family members' level of education and the level of seniority of the physician relaying information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery/Intensive Care Unit Section, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. a_s_omar@yahoo.com.|Department of Critical Care Medicine, Beni Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt. a_s_omar@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amr S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery/Intensive Care Unit Section, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. drpraveencs@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Praveen C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Sivadasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery/Intensive Care Unit Section, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. drkhattak75@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery/Intensive Care Unit Section, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. dr_rula_taha@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Rula
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery/Intensive Care Unit Section, Heart Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. Atuli@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Alejandro Kohn
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Tuli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medial Research, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. rsingh@hmc.org.qa.
authors.forename: Rajvir
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004522:Educational Status; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult