Factors limiting and facilitating changes in caring for the intensive care unit patients' relatives

Abstract

Knowing these factors and sharing the experience of a successful change process can help others design processes appropriate to their site.

Open visitation and nurse job satisfaction: An integrative review

“…Critical care nurses report that in addition to disrupting patient care, families also require the nurse to spend extra time and energy addressing their needs. Nurses view patient care as a priority and feel that they cannot meet both the needs of critically ill patients and their families (Kean & Mitchell, 2013;Mutair et al, 2013;Plakas et al, 2013;Riley et al, 2014;Zaforteza et al, 2014;McConnell & Moroney, 2014). Nurses described how they are overwhelmed by the continuous demands for information (Hart et al, 2013;Cappellini et al, 2014).…”

“…Nurses described how they are overwhelmed by the continuous demands for information (Hart et al, 2013;Cappellini et al, 2014). Multiple studies revealed that up to 87.5% of ICU nurses consider family presence a burden that increases their workload (Hart et al, 2013;Kean & Mitchell, 2013;Athanasiou et al, 2014;Cappellini et al, 2014;Riley et al, 2014;Zaforteza et al, 2014;McConnell & Moroney, 2014;Chapman et al, 2016). The additional task of addressing family needs increases the stress level of nurses already working in a stressful environment (Mutair et al, 2013;Plakas et al, 2013;Athanasiou et al, 2014).…”

Transforming a conservative clinical setting: ICU nurses' strategies to improve care for patients' relatives through a participatory action research

“…In the thematic analysis, we explored the transformation or reproduction of understandings, feelings, and power relations in ICU care‐giving (Zaforteza ; Zaforteza et al. ).…”

What's in this issue?

“…Zaforteza et al () describe how one unit in Spain attempted to attend more specifically to the needs of ICU relatives. The participatory action research (PAR) design specifically addresses the change process itself.…”

“…Essentially, PAR is a quality improvement initiative but its philosophical origins and voluntary participation distinguish the methodology from a whole system approach to data collection and change implementation of quality improvement methods that favour technical evidence and non‐technical methods for improvement (culture, teams, leadership and learning from errors; Pronovost et al , ; Bion et al , ). Zaforteza et al () clearly demonstrate through their PAR methodology that the knowledge of power relations is sometimes as potent as the power of knowledge. Received knowledge (evidence, guidelines and standardisations) can be thwarted by positional authority and obstinately refuted.…”