The effect of a family support intervention on family satisfaction, length-of-stay, and cost of care in the intensive care unit
- 1 May 2010
- journal article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Critical Care Medicine
- Vol. 38 (5), 1315-1320
- https://doi.org/10.1097/ccm.0b013e3181d9d9fe
Abstract
The study examined the effect of adding a full-time family support coordinator to the surgical intensive care unit team on family satisfaction, length-of-stay, and cost in the surgical intensive care unit.A quasi-experimental design was conducted in two phases: baseline (8 mos) and intervention (10 mos) phases. Data on family satisfaction, length-of-stay, and costs from both phases were collected.The intervention added a new role, the family support coordinator, to the surgical intensive care unit team. The family support coordinator functioned as a liaison between the patient's family and the health care team.The results revealed that generally the intervention was associated with increases in family satisfaction with communication for all surgical intensive care unit team members, with physicians, social workers, and respiratory care therapists showing increases in significance. The largest increase was for physician communication (p = .0034). Families also rated their perceptions of the quality of care provided to their family members by various members of the surgical intensive care unit team. Mean ratings increased for all areas of care, with respiratory and nursing care showing the largest increases. Families' perceptions of the care and treatment they received during the stay of their family member showed increases in all areas of satisfaction between baseline and intervention, particularly those areas most related to the intervention.The implementation of the family support coordinator intervention increased family satisfaction across a range of parameters. Although there were decreases in length-of-stay and costs, they were not statistically significant. Further research is needed to determine whether intervention refinement could produce lower length-of-stay and costs.This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Integrating Palliative and Critical CareAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2008
- Proactive palliative care in the medical intensive care unit: Effects on length of stay for selected high-risk patientsCritical Care Medicine, 2007
- Clinical practice guidelines for support of the family in the patient-centered intensive care unit: American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force 2004–2005Critical Care Medicine, 2007
- The Role of Social Work in the ICUJournal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 2006
- Effect of ethics consultations in the intensive care unitCritical Care Medicine, 2006
- The Costs Of Nonbeneficial Treatment In The Intensive Care SettingHealth Affairs, 2005
- Results of a clinical trial on care improvement for the critically illCritical Care Medicine, 2003
- Intensive communication: Four-year follow-up from a clinical practice studyCritical Care Medicine, 2003
- Half the families of intensive care unit patients experience inadequate communication with physiciansCritical Care Medicine, 2000
- A study of proactive ethics consultation for critically and terminally ill patients with extended lengths of stayCritical Care Medicine, 1998