The impact of family care visitation programme on patients and caregivers in the intensive care unit: A mixed methods study

AimsTo track changes in the haemodynamic and respiratory indicators of patients and evaluate families' caring experiences via the visitation programme in the intensive care unit (ICU). BackgroundAlthough most people recognise the importance of family care visitation programme in the ICU, objective research results on the effect on patients and caregivers are still insufficient. DesignMixed methods. MethodsIn this a quasi-experimental investigation and qualitative study, after executing the programme with families of ICU patients in a general hospital in South Korea from June to July 2019, changes in haemodynamic and respiratory indicators for control (n = 28) and experimental groups (n = 28) were analysed; the experimental group families' experiences were analysed through in-depth interviews; the qualitative study's reporting rigour was checked against the COREQ guidelines and TREND checklist for a quasi-experimental study. Qualitative and quantitative data were examined using content analysis and repeated-measures analysis of variance, respectively. ResultsThere was a significant change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the haemodynamic indicator, and the respiratory indicator in both groups increased slightly over time and then gradually stabilised; there were no significant differences or interactions between groups regarding time of systolic blood pressure. The respiratory rate significantly decreased only in the experimental group. There was a significant increase in oxygen saturation over time, as well as interactions between time and group and between groups. Four themes were extracted from families' experiences. ConclusionThe haemodynamic and respiratory indicators of the group using patient- and family-centred care (PFCC) showed a stable effect on critically ill patients, which increased families' satisfaction. In future, interventions should encourage family participation in the ICU for successful PFCC. Relevance to clinical practiceThe findings provided evidence for the importance of PFCC through changes in objective haemodynamic and respiratory indicators.