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Family satisfaction in the intensive care unit: a quantitative and qualitative analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

To assess family satisfaction in the intensive care unit (ICU) and areas for improvement using quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Methods

Prospective cohort study performed in four (mixed surgical, neurological, and cardiological) intensive care units of a university hospital in Germany, using a translated and validated version of the Family Satisfaction in the ICU (FS-ICU) questionnaire, with questions answerable on a rating scale and three open-ended questions about strengths and weaknesses. Quantitative analysis was performed to identify items with low performance and high importance. For qualitative analysis, comments were coded and analyzed to identify important themes. Patient-related data were obtained from an electronic patient data management system.

Results

Participants were 215 family members visiting adult intensive care patients with length of stay over 48 h. Response rate was 28 %. Respondents were highly satisfied; summary scores were 78.3 ± 14.3 [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] on a scale of 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent). Regression analysis failed to identify association with patient- or family-related factors. The following themes for possible improvement emerged from both quantitative and qualitative analyses: patient agitation—consistency, clarity and completeness of information—emotional support—respect and compassion towards families. Families were also dissatisfied with the waiting room, ICU atmosphere, and amenities for visiting relatives.

Conclusions

Families report high satisfaction with intensive care. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement, in particular regarding how ICU staff communicate with families and provide emotional support.

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Acknowledgments

The CSCC is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany, FKZ: 01EO1002.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Integrated Research and Treatment Center, Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany

    Daniel Schwarzkopf, Helga Skupin, Konrad Reinhart & Christiane S. Hartog

  2. Department for Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine and Integrated Research and Treatment Center, Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, Erlanger Allee 101, 07743, Jena, Germany

    Susanne Behrend, Helga Skupin, Isabella Westermann, Niels C. Riedemann, Konrad Reinhart & Christiane S. Hartog

  3. Department for Internal Medicine I, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany

    Rüdiger Pfeifer

  4. Department for Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany

    Albrecht Günther & Otto W. Witte

Authors
  1. Daniel Schwarzkopf
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  2. Susanne Behrend
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  3. Helga Skupin
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  4. Isabella Westermann
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  7. Albrecht Günther
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  8. Otto W. Witte
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  9. Konrad Reinhart
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  10. Christiane S. Hartog
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christiane S. Hartog.

Additional information

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01449734.

Daniel Schwarzkopf and Susanne Behrend contributed equally to this work.

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Schwarzkopf, D., Behrend, S., Skupin, H. et al. Family satisfaction in the intensive care unit: a quantitative and qualitative analysis. Intensive Care Med 39, 1071–1079 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-013-2862-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-013-2862-7

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