Measuring Family Satisfaction With Care Delivered in the Intensive Care Unit

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient and family experience research
• Critical care medicine

Background:

• Measuring family experience in intensive care units (ICUs) is vital for healthcare quality.
• Existing surveys do not fully capture family satisfaction in the ICU setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• Implement a sustainable measure for family satisfaction in a medical-surgical ICU.
• Assess the feasibility of a chosen tool for measuring family satisfaction.
• Provide recommendations based on study findings.

Main Methods:

• Employed a descriptive survey design.
• Utilized the 24-item Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit questionnaire.
• Measured satisfaction with care and decision-making.

Main Results:

• Forty family members completed the survey.
• Overall satisfaction with care averaged 72.24%; satisfaction with decision-making averaged 72.03%.
• Families valued nurses' ability to provide ease and clear explanations, and desired better written communication.

Conclusions:

• Family members reported satisfaction with ICU care, but identified areas for improvement.
• Enhanced communication among healthcare teams, patients, and families is essential for quality improvement initiatives.