Authors

1Alba Teruel Antiller, 2Alba Roca Biosca

Position

¹Enfermera.²Profesora del departamento de Enfermería. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Tarragona.

Contact address

Alba Teruel Antiller. C/ Bòbila, 5, 2º-1ª. 43800 Valls (Tarragona).

Contact email: albateruel@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: to conduct a review of scientific literature from the perspective of care offered to relatives of patients admitted in ICU, which will generate a higher understanding about the importance of establi­shing care guidelines, their implementation and subsequent evaluation.
Method: a narrative review was conducted, with a bibliographic search in the Cuiden, Cuidatge, Dialnet plus and Cinahl databases. This search was limited to articles published during the past ten years, without differentiating between qualitative and quantitative.
Results: thirty (30) articles were analyzed, through a thematic content analysis; and they were classified within four analysis categories: the family as a key element in critical patient care, its main needs and how to meet them, care as the essence of a profession, and new times to encourage change and training to promote it.
Conclusions: literature about this specific research subject is limited, and of a descriptive nature. The need to implement intervention skills appears clearly, as well as to evaluate them once they have been carried into the area of care, and the importance of promoting change in order to achieve this.

Keywords:

Intensive Care Units; family care; family servicesreception

Versión en Español

Título:

El cuidado de las familias en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos