Nursing visit and doubts expressed by families in the intensive care unit

Objective

Understanding the doubts expressed by relatives of patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit for more than 24 hours during nursing visits.

Methods

: A prospective cross-sectional study that included 115 family members of patients hospitalized for more than 24 hours in the intensive care unit. The research instrument was a questionnaire applied in three nursing visits.

Results

: The most frequent doubt was about the clinical status, and the average difference between the doubts of the first and the second visit was statistically significant (p = 0.047). The average number of doubts in the first visit was significant when compared with the third (p<0.001).

Conclusion

: The doubts expressed by family members were about the health status, medical conditions and the care provided. The average number of questions was lower in the third nursing visit.

Family; Intensive care units; Professional-family relations; Communication; Questionnaires