OBJECTIVE: Identifying common meanings in messages from relatives of patients in coma who had been admitted into intensive care units. METHODS: Descriptive study, qualitatively analyzing 30 messages from families of critical state patients. RESULTS: Seven categories emerged: search for spiritual support to overcome difficulties; the necessity of expressing one's feelings; the wish for the patients to return to family life; patients should not worry about external events; family is concerned with reporting the visits, reaffirming that the patient is not alone; concerns about the patient's recovery; memories about daily life and news from home. CONCLUSIONS: Feelings and concerns emerged, along with a universal feeling: hope. This was a part of all categories; hope not only about a cure, but also in adaptation.
Intensive care unit; Hospitalized patients; Family; Coma