Family Satisfaction in Multi Disciplinary ICU – A Prospective Observational Study

INTRODUCTION: Recently, studies measuring patient happiness and well-being have gained popularity as quality indicators(1), Family members’ perspectives are vital in evaluating ICU care, as many critically ill patients are too weak to engage or remember their experience. In the literature reviewed so far, the family satisfaction in ICU studies are very few in India, very few studies from south India, almost none from Kerala. In order to fill up this lacunae this present study was chosen and done in our institute. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective is to assess the satisfaction score among family members of the patients admitted in MDICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Critical Care Medicine, KIMS HEALTH, Trivandrum, Kerala, over a one-year period. It involved relatives of patients admitted to the ICU for 24 hours or more. Individuals under 20 and those with cognitive or psychological disorders were excluded. The questionnaire used in this study was FS-ICU with 24 questions which is well studied, validated and published. Total FS-ICU scores were calculated by averaging individual items, and would range from 0 to 100, with 100 representing highest satisfaction. Scores on the subscales “satisfaction with care” and “satisfaction with decision-making” were calculated. Datas were entered into Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 26. RESULTS: As per the interim analysis of 101 respondents, the demographic datas revealed mostly males (66.3%), with a mean age of 44.56 years,74.3% with secondary/high school educational status. On analysis 82.2% were completely satisfied with courtesy and compassion and 62.4% felt completely satisfied with family-focused care. For information exchange, 63.4% were completely satisfied with how often doctors communicated, and 82.2% found it easy to get information. Explanations were deemed completely understandable by 72.3%, and 82.2% praised the honesty of the information.completeness and consistency of information also stood at 72.3%, though slight dissatisfaction (9.9%) was noted. In decision-making, 42.6% felt somewhat included, and 27.7% felt very included, though 19.8% felt excluded.. Regarding the adequacy of time for addressing concerns, 36.6% found it more than adequate, and 28.7% reported a substantial amount of time available. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the study reveals generally high levels of satisfaction among family members of critically ill patients in the ICU, particularly regarding the quality of care, communication, andcompetence.. However, while the overall experience was positive, some respondents felt excluded from the decision-making process, indicating a potential area for improvement. These findings suggest that while ICU services are generally effective, enhancing family involvement in decision-making could further improve the patient care experience.