Communicating with families in the ICU : Background and practical recommendations

Family members of adult intensive care patients are partners of the interdisciplinary team. Family members provide important contributions to patient-centered care in the intensive care unit (ICU) and beyond. At the same time, family members are stressed and are themselves in need of support ("family-centered care"). This is mainly provided through family conferences. Family members must always be treated respectfully and with consideration for their acute stress syndrome. A structured communication is recommended as well as written standard operating procedures (SOPs) or guidelines for the ICU team and brochures and written guidelines for relatives. Documentation of structured family conferences is an established quality indicator of intensive care.