Family conferences: a method to diminish transfer anxiety

Because family members have an impact on patient recovery, failure to address their needs may hinder patient recovery. One such need often expressed by family members of acutely ill patients is that of dealing with anxiety generated by the hospital setting. Families may experience anxiety at any time during the hospital stay, but the literature suggests the time of transfer from the high technologic environment of the intensive care unit (ICU) to a general care unit is crucial. Although the nursing literature contains much information on needs expressed by family members at this time, there is a dearth of information about meeting these needs. For this reason, a study was designed to test one nursing intervention used to diminish the anxiety level of family members of patients experiencing transfer from an ICU to a general care unit--the pretransfer care conference.