Family needs among patients hospitalized in critical care unit: Scoping review

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to determine and analyze the family needs of the patients in the critical care unit.

Method

The scoping review was performed based on Arksey and O’Malley framework. Related literature was collected from electronic databases, including Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The articles reviewed are various in terms of their purpose, methodology, and details of reporting.

Results

There were 21 articles relevant to scoping. The key themes were identified: a different perception of family needs among families, patients, and healthcare providers, factors influencing family needs, the impact of unmet family needs, intervention on the families waiting in the intensive care unit (ICU), and the instruments to measure the family needs.

Conclusions

There are different family needs in the severe illness of patients in each country. Unmet family needs produce distress and impact patients’ recovery process and the families’ quality of life. Future research is necessary to classify family needs based on the severity of illness and provide specific interventions.