Electronic Health Records and Family Satisfaction in the ICU: Communication, Care Processes, and Decision-Making

Objectives: To evaluate electronic health records and explore associations with the satisfaction of families of critically ill patients. Methods: Exploratory cohort study. Included 94 patients with severe chronic illnesses or chronic critical illness who were admitted to the ICU and their family members. Family satisfaction was assessed using the Family Satisfaction ICU (FS-ICU 24) questionnaire, through the FS-ICU Care score (perception of care itself), FS-ICU Decision Making score (perception of decision-making), and FS-ICU Total score, and queried about the use of a room suitable for communication. Electronic health records were analyzed for elements of communication with family members, care processes, and decision-making. Results: The scores were FS-ICU Care 91.1 (76.8-98.0), FS-ICU DM 90.0 (77.5-97.5), and FS-ICU total 90.7 (78.0-97.0). In 17 (18.1%) of the medical records, there was a documented family meeting within the first 72 hours, and in 9.6%, there was documentation of communication about functionality, wishes and values, and consultation for palliative care. The use of a suitable room for communication was reported as "never" or "rarely" by 45 (47.8%) of the family members. There was a trend towards greater satisfaction with social support and lower satisfaction among family members of deceased patients, with 9 (25.8%) of these family members feeling that the patient was uncomfortable before death, and the records of meetings and communication of poor prognosis were associated with a lower perception of discomfort (P < .05). Conclusions: The satisfaction of family members of critically ill patients was high and was not significantly associated with the documentation deficiencies found. Deficiencies in communication appear to have influenced the perception of family members. Various perspectives are necessary for analyzing the care provided to patients and families in the ICU.