A questionnaire on satisfaction of family members regarding interdisciplinary family meetings in the intensive care unit

摘要

Family meetings are an integral component of patient care in the intensive care unit (ICU). These are formal meetings held between the patient's family or caregiver(s) and the inter-professional team. Often, critically ill patients cannot communicate directly with physicians; therefore, families depend on meetings to obtain information and advocate on behalf of patients to help guide care. The quality of communication between the ICU team and family can vary, with a survey of ICU directors citing family-related issues, such as patient inability to participate in discussions and suboptimal physician-family communication in end-of-life issues, as the largest barrier to improving ICU care.2 Family members value strong communication skills as much as physicians' clinical skills.3"5 Communication between the ICU team and families is a priority in improving overall ICU care.