Needs of Family Members of Critically Ill Patients in Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: The experience in intensive care unit (ICU) has created an intense emotional situation both to patients and their family members. Objectives: To understand the needs of critically ill patients’ families. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 family members of patients admitted in a medical ICU. A face to face interview was conducted and a self-reportedquestionnaire of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) was used. Descriptive statistics and comparison of proportions were used. Statistical analysis was done on SPSS version 18. Observations: CCFNI’ sfive sub-attributes that ranked from highest to lowest included: Reassurance (mean 3.10 ± 0.37); Information (mean 2.60 ± 0.61); Proximity (mean 2.46 ± 0.58); Support (mean 2.44 ± 0.34) and Comfort (mean 1.90 ± 0.26). Conclusion: The results suggest that family members perceived reassurance and information as the most crucial need. Comfort need was viewed as least important. Although this study was conducted in a tertiary hospital, the findings could still provide insight for health care providers to improve the delivery of care to patients and family members.