Intensive care unit family satisfaction survey.

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Patient Experience Research
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• Family satisfaction is a crucial metric for assessing intensive care unit (ICU) performance.
• Limited data exists on family satisfaction within Hong Kong's ICUs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate family satisfaction levels in a Hong Kong ICU.
• To compare these levels against international benchmarks.
• To identify factors influencing family satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was administered to adult family members of ICU patients.
• Data was collected from a medical-surgical adult ICU in a Hong Kong regional hospital.
• Eligible participants had patients admitted for ≥48 hours and had visited at least once.

Main Results:

• A response rate of 76.6% (736/961) was achieved.
• Mean total satisfaction scores were lower than those reported in a Canadian multicentre database (P<0.001).
• Factors associated with higher satisfaction included perceived concern, agitation management, nurse communication, physician competence, and ICU environment.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first published ICU family satisfaction data for Hong Kong.
• While comparable to global data, significant improvement is needed, particularly in the ICU environment, agitation management, and family communication.
• These areas represent key targets for future quality improvement initiatives.