Family participation in ICU rounds-Working toward improvement

Family participation in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bedside rounds has been advocated as a way to improve communication between families and health care providers; however, the associated impact and modulators have not been fully described. The purpose of this study was to explore benefits, drawbacks, barriers, and facilitators to family participation in ICU rounds in order to inform ways to improve how families are integrated into rounds.

This was a qualitative exploratory study of ICU patients' family members (n = 29) and health care providers (n = 35) who work in ICU settings. Interviews and focus groups were conducted, and thematic analysis was used for data analysis.

Benefits and drawbacks for families were related to knowledge and emotional impact and for health care providers were related to knowledge and transparency, with rapport as an additional benefit and logistical impact as a drawback. Barriers and facilitators during rounds and outside of rounds were identified, and suggestions for improvement included preparing and orienting families, summarizing, teaching modifications, follow-up, and organizational culture.

Our study provides insight into the multiple processes involved in family participation in ICU rounds, along with suggestions for improvement. Our findings may help guide development of a structured approach to family participation in ICU rounds that can be adapted to local contexts.