Improving the care of critical patient family members: Agreed on strategies

Within the context of participatory action research (PAR), a 4-stage process was established with the general aim of promoting improvements in the care offered to families of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The 4 stages consisted of a situational diagnosis, proposals for change, the design and implementation of the proposals, and an evaluation. This paper presents the first 2 stages. To define the attention given to families of patients in the Intensive Care Unit. To reach a consensus on areas for action/intervention in the unit. A qualitative methodology. PAR. Data-collection technique: 4 focus groups made up of 10 professionals, and consensus with support groups made up of 30 members. Content analysis was performed. The theoretical saturation point was reached. Two documents were drawn up: 1) A situational diagnosis, describing the current situation of the attention given to families and 2) 10 proposals for change, 5 of which were given priority. They were: a session to familiarize professionals with evidence concerning families of patients in the ICU and the handing out of informative leaflets, the improvement of (nurse-family and intra-team) informative procedures, more privacy for patients and a reduction in environmental noise, a training plan for professionals, and change in the visiting policy. By using consensus-based methodologies, strategies for change can be prioritized and designed, adapted to the context in which they will be applied.