Criteria deemed important by ICU patients when designating a reference person

Area of Science:

• Medical Sociology
• Patient-Centered Care
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Hospitalized patients in intensive care units (ICUs) require designated individuals to communicate with healthcare teams.
• Identifying the criteria patients use for this designation is vital for patient advocacy and care coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the criteria hospitalized ICU patients prioritize when selecting a relative to interact with caregiving staff.
• To understand patient perspectives on surrogate designation in critical care settings.

Main Methods:

• An exploratory, observational, prospective, multicenter study was conducted in two ICUs.
• A 12-item questionnaire was administered to 71 eligible ICU patients who understood French and had not pre-designated surrogates.

Main Results:

• Key criteria identified by patients included: a good knowledge of their wishes and values (40.8% respiratory infection, 23.9% sepsis).
• Emotional attachment (average age 63.9±17.3 years, 29.5% female) and being a family member were also highly valued.
• Patient demographics included an average Charlson comorbidity score of 2.5±2.4 and SAPS II of 39.8±16.5.

Conclusions:

• ICU patients critically value knowledge of their wishes, emotional bonds, and family relationships when designating a reference person.
• These findings underscore the importance of patient-centered communication and surrogate selection in intensive care.