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Intensive care
Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Reasons for admission :
Emergency admissions
Planned admissions
In the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) :
Seeing the patient in ICU for the first time
Suspending normal routines: visiting ICU every day
Uncertainty
Emotional impact on relatives & friends in ICU
Impact on children
Telling others
Relationships within and between families
Receiving information and news from doctors
Sources of information in ICU
Nursing care
Keeping a diary
Sources of support in ICU
At the bedside:
Waiting for news
Signs of improvement and progress
The relatives' room and overnight accommodation:
The relatives' room
Overnight accommodation
When someone dies :
End of life decisions
Death and bereavement:
When someone dies
Funerals
Coping with bereavement
On a general ward :
The ward environment and nursing care
Hospital discharge and rehabilitation
Life after leaving the hospital :
Supporting and caring for the ill person at home
Impact on work and finances
Attitudes to life after the hospital experience
Messages to others
Emotional impact on relatives and carers
Emotional impact on family and friends
Adjusting to a changed life
Support and information
Support and information
Lack of support and information
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
People's stories
Aged 41-50
Interview 03
:
In 2004 her 17-year-old son was a passenger in a car that was involved in a serious accident. He spent 17 days in ...
Interview 16
:
She cares for her 13-year-old son, who has congenital muscular dystrophy. In 2003 he had a serious chest infection and was admitted to ...
Interview 17
:
Her husband was admitted to ICU because of a brain aneurysm. She spent eight weeks visiting him in two different hospitals, sometimes staying overnight.
Interview 10
:
In 2006 her partner was diagnosed with Weil's disease, a rare bacterial infection. She stayed at the hospital for five nights and then in ...
Interview 24
:
Her mother had cardiac arrest. She spent nine days in ICU and now lives with her daughter. She received a lot of support from her ...
Interview 30
:
His father died in ICU, aged 83. Being an intensive care doctor, he was able to provide information and support to his mother and brother.
Interview 33
:
Her husband was admitted to ICU after having emergency surgery. It was particularly difficult looking after other family members as well as visiting her husband.
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