Nurse-family communication in the ICU: A technological strength based nurse (SBN) approach

38^th International Conference on Nursing & Healthcare

October 16-18, 2017 | New York, USA

Lia Sanzone, Elaine Doucette, Ameer Albahoud, William De Luca, Gianni Santella and Karen Wang

McGill University Health Centre, Canada

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Families of patients admitted to the ICU often experience high levels of stress and uncertainty which can be exacerbated by a lack of support through poor communication by the healthcare team. Family members of critically ill patients desire for health professionals to provide clear information about their loved ones, essential education and offer guidance and support. The importance of these needs is replete in past research; although, many critical care settings still encounter unaddressed barriers in communication with families (2009). Critical care settings are distinct in that the nurse is the most present at the bedside which makes attending to all the family's needs a challenge. ICUs do not always have access to the same specialists in supportive care as do palliative care setting, for instance. With downsizing of nursing staff in Canada due to decreased healthcare expenditures, introducing new positions specialized in family support may not be a possibility. Implementing alternative methods of communication with the family may be necessary considering these obstacles. Harnessing the power of modern communication technologies such as smartphones is a new and exciting area of development within critical care settings. This can bridge the communication gap between nursing staff and the patient�s family by allowing family members to express their concerns and provide them with access to information regarding the care team, patient�s status and condition, among other uses. Our focus is to provide viable alternative communication strategies to promote patient and family-centred care within the ICU. These strength-based nursing interventions offer the support and resources needed to overcome the challenges of the critical care experience.