Models of family-centered care in one acute care institution

Focus on the emotional responses and needs of critically ill patients has grown to encompass a focus on their families as well. Moos notes that the family as well as the patient faces a number of adaptive tasks in the crisis of serious illness. These include managing the hospital environment, keeping reasonable emotional balance, negotiating relationships with the treatment staff, preserving self-image, preserving a relationship with the patient, and preparing for an uncertain future. The complexity of these tasks and the coping skills needed to master them speaks to the role of the psychiatric clinical nurse specialist in the acute care setting. This article has highlighted some activities of psychiatric clinical nurse specialists working with families in the acute care setting. Included have been support groups, indirect models, contracting, professional families, VIP/VRP families, families in the intensive care setting, and families in transition from intensive care to floor care. All emphasize the importance and needs of the family as well as the patient during hospitalization in an acute care setting.