Rosy Fabián-Victoriano, Departamento de Docencia e Investigación en Enfermería, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, México
Brenda N. Zárate-García, Departamento de Enfermería Clínica, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, México
Luis A. Merino-Cruz, Departamento de Enfermería Clínica, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, México
Edgar Corrales-Ambrocio, Departamento de Enfermería Clínica, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, México
Virginia Domínguez-Martínez, Departamento de Docencia e Investigación en Enfermería, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, México
Introduction: Hospitalization in an adult intensive care unit (ICU) is a stressful experience. Relatives of critically ill patients have particular needs, such as receiving information about the patient’s treatment and progress, expressing their thoughts, doubts, or emotions, and being treated with empathy and quality by the healthcare staff. Objective: To identify the needs of family members of patients admitted to the ICU. Method: Descriptive, cross-sectional study, with 50 family members of patients admitted to the ICU. The Critical Care Family Needs Inventory was used, along with descriptive statistics for data analysis. Results: The most important needs for family members were information and security ( X : 3.98), followed by the need for proximity ( X : 3.90). The least important needs were comfort ( X : 3.68) and support ( X : 3.54). Conclusions: For family members, being well informed about the patient’s condition is crucial. Identifying the relative importance of family needs will help healthcare teams improve their relationship with the family members of critically ill patients in the ICU.
Keywords: Needs assessment. Family. Intensive care unit.