The Development of Family-Focused Intensive Care Nursing Through Action Research

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to facilitate an improved understanding by intensive care nurses about their care of family members of critically ill patients. The study aimed to challenge intensive care nurses to reconceptulaise family nursing within the context of the intensive care unit (ICU). Background to the study: Critical illness is not an event that occurs in isolation for the patient and staff. It affects the patient's family in a unique way. A plethora of literature exists identifying the needs of family members in the ICU. However, there are considerably fewer studies which have examined interventions to meet family members' needs and no identified research that discreetly examined the concept of family-focused nursing in the intensive care environment. Design of the study: This study utilised a collaborative action research methodology. It was developed in four phases through the cyclical, dynamic steps of action research. Setting: This study was undertaken in the general intensive care facility of a metropolitan tertiary referral hospital. Phase One: Phase One of the study was the establishment of a collaborative action research group (CARG) with interested registered nurses working in a general intensive care unit. The CARG explored the first two research questions of this study: 1) What are intensive care nurses' perceptions of family-focused nursing? and 2) Is familyfocused nursing appropriate in the intensive care environment? Data were collected through audio taping meetings, flip chart notes and the researcher's reflective diary. Data analysis was undertaken utilising open coding. For the first research question, open coding of the data revealed two categories relating to perceptions of family focused intensive care nursing: partnership in care and maintaining a balance. For the second research question, CARG members agreed unanimously that family focused nursing was appropriate in the intensive care environment. The CARG determined future direction of the action research phases, ...