Hearing the unheard: Amplifying the voices of relatives with critically-ill patients in intensive care unit

Abstract

This study aimed to explore on the needs of relatives of critically ill patients and the entirety of their lived experiences accompanying a relative admitted in an Intensive Care Unit. Descriptive comparative design was used in the quantitative part and descriptive phenomenological approach was employed on the qualitative part. The respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique. The study was conducted in selected hospitals in the province of Rizal wherein Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) as the main tool was utilized. The study unfolded that no significant difference exists among the responses on the perceived needs with respondent's relationship to the patient and respondent's patient disease classification as the intervening variables. The qualitative part made use of an unstructured interview guide; after a careful analysis using Colaizzi's method, six (6) themes emerged, namely: (1) Entering the ICU: A Gate to Sorrow, (2) The Call: Fight or Flight, (3) Money Matters: The One that Bothers, (4) Before It's Late: Say It Straight, (5) A place to Stay: A Need I Pray, and (6) Horrible Nightmare: Nothing Compares, that describe the overall experiences of the participants in their stressful voyage accompanying a critically ill family member.