[Negative impact of intensive care on family caregivers]

Relatives of intensive care patients make an important contribution to recovery and perform a variety of tasks. Due to the demands on the relatives and their services in the ICU and after their discharge, stressful psychological, physical, social, and financial consequences can arise or worsen. Relatives often compensate deficiencies in treatment, especially through a lack of communication and a lack of continuity of care. Seamless care for patients in the ICU and afterwards reduces avoidable consequences for relatives. Structured communication between relatives and the treatment team as well as active involvement in nursing treatments can alleviate stress symptoms and the feeling of powerlessness. Prescient discharge management for ICU patients and their relatives reduces PICS risk. Specific and comprehensive offerings of advice and support for relatives can help to perform and process the effort between everyday life and care tasks.