Developing and Determining Psychometric Properties of the Family Intensive Care Unit Syndrome Scale

Family members who take care of their patients in the Intensive Care Unit experience some psychological, physical, social and spiritual impairments.

This study aimed to develop and preliminarily validate a comprehensive scale to assess the psychological, physical, social and spiritual dimensions of Family Intensive Care Unit Syndrome (FICUS).

A mixed-method study was conducted to develop the scale through a multi-stage process, including literature review, expert item evaluation and psychometric testing. Content validity, construct validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined.

A total of 245 family members of ICU patients completed the preliminary items via structured telephone-based questionnaires. Forty-nine items were collected during the literature review, and then they were reduced to 16 items using experts' comments and measuring content validity and initial internal consistency. Construct validity showed a good fit for a four-factor structure (χ²/df = 1.8, Normed Fit Index 0.94, Comparative Fit Index = 0.97 and Incremental Fit Index = 0.97). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the scale was 0.92, and the factor's values were between 0.78 and 0.91. The correlation between the test and retest was 0.72, indicating good stability.

The Family Intensive Care Unit Syndrome Scale (FICUSS) is a brief, comprehensive and valid scale for measuring psychological, physical, social and spiritual impairments in the family members who care for Intensive Care Unit patients during hospitalisation and after discharge.

The FICUSS can be used by nurses, psychologists and other healthcare professionals to recognise and manage the psychological, physical, social and spiritual impairments in the family members of intensive care patients.