A family nursing educational intervention supports nurses and families in an adult intensive care unit.
The family experience of critical illness is filled with distress that may have a lasting impact on family coping and family health. A nurse can become a source of comfort that helps the family endure. Yet, nurses often report a lack of confidence in communicating with families and families report troubling relationships with nurses. In spite of strong evidence supporting nursing practice focused on the family, family nursing interventions often not implemented in the critical care setting. This pilot study examined the influence of an educational intervention on nurses' attitudes towards and confidence in providing family care, as well as families' perceptions of support from nurses in an adult critical care setting. An academic-clinical practice partnership used digital storytelling as an educational strategy. A Knowledge to Action Process Framework guided this study. Results of pre-intervention data collection from families and nurses were used to inform the educational intervention. A convenience sample of family members completed the Iceland Family Perceived Support Questionnaire (ICE-FPSQ) to measure perception of support provided by nurses. Video, voice, and narrative stories of nurses describing their experiences caring for family members during a critical illness and family members' experiences with a critically ill family member also guided education plans. When comparing the pre and post results of the Family Nurse Practice Scale (FNPS), nurses reported increased confidence, knowledge, and skill following the educational intervention. Qualitative data from nurses reported satisfaction with the educational intervention. Findings suggest that engaging nurses in educational opportunities focused on families while using storytelling methods encourages empathic understandings. Academic-clinician teams that drive directions show promise in supporting families and nurses in critical care settings. Plans are moving forward to use this study design and methods in other critical care settings.
Glen Taylor Nursing Institute for Family and Society, 360 Wissink Hall and 351 7700 France, School of Nursing, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN 56001, USA. Electronic address: Sandra.eggenberger@mnsu.edu.
Sandra K
SK
Eggenberger
Cardiovascular Intensive Care University, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview-East Bank, 500 Harvard Street S. E., Minneapolis, MN 5455, USA. Electronic address: msander1@fairview.org.
Marita
M
Sanders
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D022143:Family Nursing; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Critical illness; Digital storytelling; Family nursing; Knowledge translation; Nursing education