[Meaning of family confrontation for nurses of intensive care units for adult people - Medellín 2013].
OBJECTIVE
To comprehend the meaning nurses give to family confrontation, from their experiences while patients are in adult intensive care units in Medellin 2013.


METHODS
A qualitative research study was carried out using a phenomenological approach and theoretical convenience sampling of subjects was used. Interviews with open questions were conducted with nurses that worked in different intensive care units in the city of Medellin, with more than one year of experience in these units. The information was coded and categorised to perform the analysis, and some concept maps were created for the final report.


RESULTS
This study showed that nurses focus their care on the critical patient and not on the patient's family. They considered that there is family confrontation when its members comprehend the processes that are carried out in the intensive care unit, and can contribute to the patient's care, while if families do not have confrontations, it is because they do not understand the process, or feel desperate or are absent. The interventions that nurses consider must be done to help in the family confrontation are: information, interdisciplinary support, visits, and companionship.


CONCLUSIONS
For the nurses, family confrontation means that family members understand, comprehend, accept, know, bear and go on with the situation; therefore, they can make good decisions regarding the patient's care in the adult intensive care units.
País: Colombia- Departamento: Antioquia, ciudad: Medellín Enfermera Especialista en cuidado al adulto en estado crítico de salud. Docente Ocasional Facultad de Enfermería Universidad de Antioquia. Estudiante Maestría en Educación y Desarrollo Humano, convenio CINDE-Universidad de Manizales. Electronic address: dpmontoyat@gmail.com.
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DP
Montoya Tamayo
País: Colombia- Departamento: Antioquia, ciudad: Medellín, Enfermera Especialista en cuidado al adulto en estado crítico de salud. Enfermera UCI Clínica las Vegas.
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TP
Monsalve Ospina
País: Colombia- Departamento: Antioquia, ciudad: Medellín Enfermera Magister en Salud Pública, Docente Titular Facultad de Enfermería Universidad de Antioquia.
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C
Forero Pulido
D000328:Adult; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009726:Nurses; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research
Adaptación; Adaptation; Cuidado enfermero; Cuidados intensivos; Familia; Family; Intensive care; Investigación cualitativa; Nursing care; Qualitative research