Using interventive questions to empower family decision making

Area of Science:

• Critical care nursing
• Family therapy
• Patient and family support

Background:

• Critical care environments often limit family involvement due to high technology.
• Nurses, though not family specialists, frequently support patients' families.
• Effective family support is crucial for patients with life-threatening conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce four types of therapeutic questions for critical care nurses.
• To enable nurses to support families and enhance their problem-solving skills.
• To adapt family therapy techniques for brief critical care encounters.

Main Methods:

• Description of four question types from family therapy literature.
• Application of these questions through a case study of a head-injured child.
• Focus on brief, problem-focused family interactions.

Main Results:

• The described questions are applicable in critical care settings.
• Nurses can effectively use these questions to support families.
• Family problem-solving skills can be mobilized through guided questioning.

Conclusions:

• Nurses can utilize specific questioning techniques to support families in critical care.
• These methods facilitate family involvement despite technological barriers.
• The approach is practical for the time-constrained nature of critical care.