Pacient’s family in intensive therapy: nurse’s conception

Abstract

This is an investigation about the nurse’s conceptions of the patient’s family relationship when the patient is interned in the intensive therapy. The methodological strategy is based in the phenomenological approach. From the analysis of the speeches we observed that in the patient’s family relationship the nurse’s perception may be classified in the following categories: the family experiences fear, anxiety and insecurity; the family is worried with the patient . In relation to dealing with the family, the individuals manifested perceptions emerging the following categories: the nurse finds it difficult to deal with the family; the nurse takes some actions in order to help the family; the contact with the family can cause pleasant emotions , as well as to facilitate the patient’s attention in intensive therapy. Observing the subjects’ discourses we concluded that the nurses realize the suffering of the family and, at the same time, their own difficulties in working with it.. Thus, the study shows the importance of rethinking nurse-family relationship and its implications for the attendance on critical condition patient