Authors

Jorge Martínez Toquero1, Mireia Llauradó Serra2

Position

1Enfermero. Departamento de Enfermería. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Campus Catalunya. Tarragona. Máster en Atención Prehospitalaria y Hospitalaria Urgente2Enfermera. Departamento de Enfermería. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Campus Catalunya. Tarragona. Doctora en Ciencias de la Enfermería. Máster en Medicina Respiratoria

Contact address

Jorge Martínez Toquero. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Departamento de Enfermería. Campus Catalunya. Avinguda Catalunya, 35. 43002 Tarragona.

Contact email: j.toquero92@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: to describe the needs reported by patients during their stay at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and to analyze the environmental stressors they perceived.
Methodology: a narrative review of literature. The databases used were: Cuiden Plus, PubMed, CINAHL, SciELO, i-cercador, IME and Cochrane. The inclusion criteria for the articles were: published in Spanish or English, between 2005 and 2014, about adult patients, and with a score in the methodological scale The SQUIRE ≥ 10 scores. Grey literature was excluded, as well as those studies assessing the needs of the family.
Results: thirteen (13) articles were included. The most common needs detected were: being informed about their process and being able to make decisions about it, being able to communicate with their family and the professionals, being able to rest well without frequent awakenings, and staying in contact with their family, due to the high level of loneliness they felt.
Conclusions: ICU stays generate a high level of stress for patients. The unmet needs reported by patients were: feeling informed, making decisions, resting, and feeling safe, due to the loneliness, concern and feeling of imminent death experienced. Patients and their relatives demanded being together as long as possible, and claimed that this would be very beneficial in order to promote their wellbeing and comfort in the ICU.

Keywords:

intensive care; ICU; patient needs; information; safety; rest

Versión en Español

Título:

Necesidades de los pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos