Determination of the Content of Communication between the Care Team and Family Members of Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: The Experience of Nurses and Patient's Families

Establishing an effective communication with patients is an essential aspect of nursing care. However, most studies have described the nurse-patients’ family relationship as weak. Recognition of the content of effective care team-patient’s family communication will facilitate a more affective relationship between the care team and family members of patients in intensive care units. The present study aimed to determine the content of effective communication between the care team and family members of patients in the intensive care unit from the perspective of nurses and patients’ families. This study was performed with a qualitative approach and content analysis method. Participants included 8 Iranian registered nurses and 4 physicians working in intensive care units (ICU) of hospitals affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and 10 first-degree relatives of patients. Data were collected using interviews and observations. Unstructured interviews were used in the present study. We used observation in order to gain a deeper understanding and verify data from interviews. The observations focused on the interactions between the care team and patients’ families during mutual communications. The data analysis of the handwritten account of the communication of the participants resulted in five categories of spiritual care (subcategories: giving hope, considering Allah, and performing religious practices) emotional reaction (subcategories: empathy, mutual understanding, promoting comfort, and trust), encouraging participation (subcategories: participation in decision making, and participation in physical care), interactive learning (subcategories: identification of the information requirements of the family, responding to the needs of the patient’s family, and training the patients), and consultation and guidance (subcategories: consultation in selecting treatment, and selecting the best care method). The findings resulted in the recognition of important aspects in communication between the ICU team and the family of the patients. By identification of the content of communication, establishing new rules, and application of creative methods in educating the care team on establishing communication, implementation of rules, and application of the patient-based approach in clinical environments we can communicate more effectively.