Helping at the bedside: Spouses' preferences for helping critically ill patients

Abstract

Spouses of patients in intensive care units (ICU) need to be close and helpful to ill partners. According to adult attachment theory, emotional responses may be related to preferences for closeness and helpfulness, and according to control theory optimism also may influence spouses' emotional responses. Spouses' goals and helping behaviors were assessed in 88 spouses of ICU patients. Using a repeated-measures design, the relationships of closeness, helpfulness, and optimism to emotional outcomes were assessed. Preferences for closeness and helpfulness were strongly related, and together with optimism, predicted spouses' mood at some point of the illness trajectory. Spouses who were over-involved with partners' care requirements were at greater risk for emotional distress. Results suggest that closeness and helpfulness are integrated concepts, and that attachment dimensions of a relationship and optimism are useful for understanding spouses' emotional responses to critical illness.

Positive Effects of a Nursing Intervention on Family-Centered Care in Adult Critical Care

“…7,15 Proximity helps reassure family members of the patient's state of being; physical separation is a constant reminder of the fragility of their relative's existence. Eldredge 16 found that family members who wanted to be physically close to their relative in critical care also desired to be helpful but could not always help because nurses at times did everything. A majority (80%) of family members who helped with some patient care stated that the act of caregiving resulted in the family members' having a more positive outlook.…”

“…A majority (80%) of family members who helped with some patient care stated that the act of caregiving resulted in the family members' having a more positive outlook. 16 For patients, family members both provide a link with home life that helps orient the patients 17 and produce a calming effect and sense of security. 18 Although the needs of the families of critical care patients are well known, Verhaeghe et al 6 concluded that not enough was being done to meet families' needs and that nurses underestimated their (the nurses') role in satisfying these needs.…”

“…26 For example, in neonatal transitional care units, parents reported feeling less anxious after the adoption of family-centered care, lengths of hospital stay were shorter, and rehospitalizations were fewer. 27 However, few specific strategies 16,20 to promote family-centered care in adult units have been published. Thus, although family-centered care sounds beneficial in theory, little evidence is available of ways to operationalize this model of care.…”

Engaging Families to Participate in Care of Older Critical Care Patients

“…5,6,9,11 However, further research is necessary to identify barriers to family participation in care and cost-effective strategies to facilitate and support family participation in care. Although researchers in 1 study 19 did report improved outcomes in older patients, increased understanding is needed to integrate the AACN Synergy Model as a framework to identify nursing competencies that can be used to support the integration of patients' family members into the care of acute and critically ill older adults.…”

Benefit to Family Members of Delivering Hand Massage With Essential Oils to Critically Ill Patients

“…5 Some evidence indicates that family members want to perform some patient care such as touching, encouraging, and assisting with daily living routines. 6,7 …”