Navigating post-ICU care: understanding family members' experiences - a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Nursing Research
• Psychosocial Support

Background:

• Supporting family members (FMs) after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge is crucial for patient and caregiver well-being.
• The post-ICU phase presents unique challenges impacting the quality of life (QoL) for caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiences of family members (FMs) three months after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.
• To assess the quality of life (QoL) of family members (FMs) during the post-intensive care unit (ICU) transition.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative, descriptive study involving telephonic interviews with 24 family members (FMs).
• Data collected from two Italian Academic Hospital ICUs over two months.
• Thematic analysis using a hybrid deductive and inductive coding approach facilitated by Atlas.ti software.

Main Results:

• Four themes emerged: transformed QoL, significant positive emotions, the caregiver's supporting role, and meaning-making of the illness event.
• Caregiving experiences are multifaceted, influenced by emotional and practical aspects.
• Family members (FMs) demonstrated adaptation and resilience in their caregiving roles.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight the importance of addressing environmental challenges and emotional needs of family members (FMs) post-ICU.
• Strengthening caregiver-patient relationships is key to improving overall QoL.
• Family members (FMs) can achieve resilience and fulfillment by adapting to the caregiver role and finding meaning in the illness experience.