Advanced Nursing Research

Biography

Biography: Anabela Pereira Mendes

Abstract

In the context of critical care, patient and family members are both nursing client, because they have particular needs that nurses can answer and make tham more confortable. Family in ICU context, faced with the instability of the patient, tell nurses everything what they know and ask nurses for obtain information about their relative. Nurses are interested in knowing the family and responding to their information needs. It is important to identify in the communication process betteen family and nurses, what content, in terms of nursing care, they share. It was decided to carry out an integrative review of the literature since this methodology “have the potential to build nursing science, informing research, practice, and policy initiatives” (Whittemore & Knafl, 2005) The research question was elaborated through the mnemonic "PICo" What information do they share (P), family and nurses (I), when interact in the ICU (Co)? Descriptors, accordance MeSH - Medical Subject Headings: Intensive care units; critical nurses; family; needs assessment; information needs; nurse. Data bases: MEDLINE e CINAHL - 1 to 8 of Abril, 2019. Articles written in Portuguese, English and Spanish. We use boolean expressions AND and OR. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 articles were selected. It was verified that the family intends: “to know specific facts concerning the patient’s progres” (1) (Chiena, et al., 2006); “To know which staff member could give what type of information”; “To talk to the same nurse each day” “To know specific facts concerning the patient’s progress” “To receive information about the patient once a day” “To be called at home about changes in the condition of the patient” “To have questions answered honestly” (Hinkle, et al., 2009); “family members want honest, intelligible, and timely information” (Azoulay, et al., 2001); “want a nurse to explain to them about the care, the unit, the equipment and what they can do for the patient during visiting hours” (Verhaeghe, et al., 2005). For nurses it is important “to develop collaborative relationships with patients’ family members, based on an open exchange of information “ , “to provide family members with the appropriate, clear, and compassionate information they need to participate in making decisions about patients who are unable to speak for themselves” (Azoulay, et al., 2001). We can conclude that the process of information-sharing has three domains that it is important to study in detail: cognitive, emotional and practical needs. This process should be central in the nurses’ approach of family members in ICU.