Support Program for Families of ICU Patients

An assistance program provides support for families and care-givers of patients suffering from long-term illnesses in intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals.

Many families must travel some distance (four hours on average) to see ICU patients. They sleep on waiting room couches, eat from vending machines, and often feel generally uninformed on the patient's condition, all of which make life and death decisions even more difficult than normally. Now, pilot programs in the United States are designed to provide stronger support and more resources for families during a member's ICU stay.

While elements of various programs differ, they may include a computerized kiosk that provides information about specific diseases, hospital services, and the critical care environment; about staff, pastoral, and social services; parking and wayfaring maps; and recommendations for local hotel accommodations and dining. Other core program components include communications devices, motel and meal vouchers, taxi coupons, bus tickets, phone cards, and family sleeping and consultation rooms. The idea for a multidisciplinary program was created by The Chest Foundation (Northbrook, IL, USA) and the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation (Indianapolis, IN, USA). They call it The Critical Care Family Assistance Program.

Several pilot programs implemented in 2002 are doing well. Implementers say that the programs also increased the level of staff satisfaction, increasing staff retention and the ability to attract high quality staff.

The Chest Foundation is offering a replication toolkit to provide hospitals with critical information and tools for implementing the program in their own ICUs, to be available by spring 2004. "We are very pleased with the success of the pilot programs in Oklahoma and Illinois,” said Diane Stover, M.D., president of The Chest Foundation. "We hope this toolkit will guide other critical units that would like to respond to the needs of family members of critically ill patients.”




Related Links:
Chest Foundation