Nurses’ attitudes about the importance of families in nursing care:a survey of Canadian critical care nurses working in adult ICUs

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Date
2013-12-05
Authors
Alguire, Sandra Denise Anne
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify Canadian critical care nurses’ attitudes about the importance of families in nursing care in adult intensive care units (ICUs), explore their perceptions of family-centered care (FCC), and examine policies and practices in place that promote FCC in adult ICUs. A web-based survey was used with a sample of members (N = 207) of the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses. Using the Families Importance in Nursing Care: Nurses’ Attitudes (FINC-NA) instrument, it was found that age and years of ICU experience were positively related to more positive attitudes (n = 193), while direct care providers had lower scores than nurses in other roles. Nurses identified benefits for patients, families, and staff associated with FCC, but also outlined challenges in implementing FCC, including comfort of nurses and a lack of support from team members. Nurses’ responses to questions about FCC policies and practices illustrated concerns with the implementation of FCC in the units the nurses worked in. The results of this study have implications for practice, education, and research.
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Keywords
attitudes, critical, ICU, family, visitation, FCC, adult, nurse, perceptions, families
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