A Whirlpool of Stress in Families of Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Qualitative Multicenter Study

Activity Summary

Unidentified pathological stress in family members during a loved one’s ICU stay hinders their ability to appropriately support the patient and may even be transferred to the patient. Meanwhile, empathetic understanding of the family’s stresses can help nurses develop family-centered care plans to meet family members’ needs, augment their trust in health care providers, enhance their adherence to hospital regulations, and prepare them for greater participation in patient-related decisions. The study was conducted to investigate the characteristics and origins of the stresses experienced by family members during ICU hospitalizations of their loved ones.

Objectives

Identifies multi-dimensional stress from the family perspective and not from the perspective of health care providers.
Explains the experiences of families during the ICU admission of their loved one.
Contributes to the development of tools to assess the family situation in the critical days of hospitalization to ICU.

Continuing Education Disclosure Statement

Successful Completion

Learners must attend/view/read the entire activity and complete the associated evaluation to be awarded the contact hours or CERP. No partial credit will be awarded.

Disclosure

This activity has been reviewed by the Nurse Planner. It has been determined that the material presented here shows no bias. No conflicts of interest have been identified for any individual with the ability to influence the content of this activity. Accreditation refers to recognition of continuing education only and does not imply AACN or ANCC approval or endorsement of any commercial products discussed or displayed in conjunction with this educational activity.

Accreditation

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC's) Commission on Accreditation, ANCC Provider Number 0012. AACN has been approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing by the California State Board of Nursing (CBRN), California Provider number CEP 1036. This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hours.

AACN programming meets the standards for most states that require mandatory continuing education contact hours for license and/or certification renewal. AACN recommends consulting with your state board of nursing or credentialing organization before submitting CE to fulfill continuing education requirements.

Refund Policy

Continuing Education Activities are nonrefundable.