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Effect of intensive care environment on family and patient satisfaction: a before–after study

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine to what extent intensive care unit environment affects family and patient satisfaction.

Methods

A before–after study was performed in one university hospital in The Netherlands, 2 months before and 2 months after the migration of an intensive care unit (ICU) with multiple beds on a ward to a newly built ICU with all single rooms. Family and patient satisfaction were determined by two surveys: family satisfaction with care in the ICU and patient satisfaction with care in the ICU, respectively.

Results

From 387 of 617 (63 %) discharged patients at least one survey (patient and/or family) was returned. Both family and patients were more satisfied with their overall ICU experience in the new ICU as compared with the old ICU. Mean scores for family satisfaction increased from 69.5 [standard deviation (SD) 16.6] to 74.1 (SD 15.2) for old and new ICU, respectively (p = 0.02). For patients, satisfaction rates increased from 63.6 (SD 18.9) to 69.6 (SD 18.3) for old and new ICU, respectively (p = 0.02). The largest differences on single items of the surveys were noted on environmental aspects.

Conclusions

This is the first study to quantify the effect of ICU environment on family and patient satisfaction. Family and patient satisfaction with ICU experience increased by 6 % in the new ICU environment with noise-reduced, single rooms with daylight, adapted colouring and improved family facilities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all patients and their families for filling in the surveys, and Marie-Louise Luiking for the back-translation of the FS-ICU.

Conflicts of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Room F.06-149, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Irene P. Jongerden, Arjen J. Slooter, Colette M. Ram, Jozef Kesecioglu & Diederik van Dijk

  2. Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Linda M. Peelen

  3. Department of Corporate Communications, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hester Wessels

  4. Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Margriet M. Schneider

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  1. Irene P. Jongerden
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Correspondence to Irene P. Jongerden.

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Jongerden, I.P., Slooter, A.J., Peelen, L.M. et al. Effect of intensive care environment on family and patient satisfaction: a before–after study. Intensive Care Med 39, 1626–1634 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-013-2966-0

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