Last update:
19-Feb-2014

OBJECTIVE To evaluate family satisfaction with the care of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

METHOD A prospective study with repeated measurements was conducted, in which 102 relatives (62 female and 40 male), aged 19−82 years, of patients in the ICU of a large public hospital in Athens participated. Study questionnaires were distributed to the family members during the period August 2008 to August 2010, always after they had been informed by the attending doctor about the patient's condition. The family satisfaction in the intensive care unit-24 (FS-ICU 24) was used, which measures family satisfaction with care and family satisfaction with decision making. Two measurements were made on the same relative, the first 7−10 days after the admission of the patient to the ICU and the second after 15−20 days of care in the ICU. The criteria for enrolment in the study were that the patient was intubated for at least 48 hours and the relative had made two consecutive visits of more than 10 minutes duration.

RESULTS Family satisfaction with care (mean score on the FS-ICU 24) diminished from 76 at the first measurement to 71 at the second measurement (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS ICU relatives appear to be satisfied with the patient care in general, but lower scores on the FS-ICU 24 scale indicate the need for further improvement in the provision of patient care by the ICU staff.

Key words: Family satisfaction, FS-ICU 24 scale, ICU, Patient care.