Critical Care Family Informational Support and Stress Level among ICU Patients' Family Members

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the critical care family informational support (CCFIS) in the critical care unit to the family members’ level of stress. Specifically, this study was conducted (1) To determine the difference in the level of stress of the family members before and after the intervention in terms of dissociation symptoms and clustered symptoms; (2) To determine the difference in the level of stress of the family members between the experimental group and comparison group in terms of dissociation symptoms and clustered symptoms; (3) To determine the relationship between the level of stress and the following variables: gender, age, relationship to the patient, and educational attainment. This study utilized the non-equivalent control group pre-test-post-test design, which involved an experimental treatment and two groups of subjects observed before and after its implementation. The control group received the typical hospital routine while the experimental group received the CCFIS, a 2-phase intervention directed to provide basic and essential information about the intensive care unit to the family members of ICU patients. There were 25 respondents for the control group and 30 for the experimental group. Results showed that there was a significant difference in the level of stress between pre-test and post-test on dissociation symptoms (p=0.00) after the CCFIS was done to the study group. There was no significant difference between pre-test and post-test in the comparison group in both the dissociative symptoms and clustered symptoms. CCFIS was effective in decreasing the level of stress particularly in terms of the dissociation symptoms. The intervention played an important role in meeting the informational needs of the family members, allowing them to re-process the stressful situation of having a patient in critical care, thereby promoted coping and decreased level of stress.