Support Groups Facilitated by Families of Former Patients: Creating Family-Inclusive Critical Care Units

Improve communication with families of current patients.

One of the most commonly mentioned needs of families of critically ill patients is the families’ desire to have questions answered honestly; to receive regular updates; and to connect with nurses, physicians, and other members of the health care team.^1,–5 Unfortunately, these needs are not always met, and patients’ families experience unnecessary stress and dissatisfaction with services provided.⁶ Nurses in the burn trauma intensive care unit (BTICU) of Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, determined that a support group for patients’ families might be a way to ensure that the needs of the families were met. This program has been evaluated favorably by patients’ family members and has resulted in several improvements in the ways in which care is structured, managed, and communicated to others. We describe the program and the methods used...