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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
Subject index
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Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 51-60
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Interview 07
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They were devastated about the possibility that their son's life support machine could be switched off and felt it was too soon to make such decisions
Their son was admitted to ICU in 2005 with bacterial meningitis. It was a traumatic time but he is now back home and has made excellent progress.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 51-60
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Interview 04
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She was extremely disappointed in two doctors who wouldn't believe her when she said her son had shown signs of awareness, and felt it was too soon to
In October 2004, her son had a motorbike accident and was admitted to ICU. He had a serious head injury and broken jaw.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 51-60
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Interview 04
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As a nurse and mother she refused to believe doctors who were telling her that her son would be permanently brain damaged.
In October 2004, her son had a motorbike accident and was admitted to ICU. He had a serious head injury and broken jaw.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
>>
Aged 51-60
>>
Interview 04
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She felt it was too soon to tell whether her son would be brain damaged after an accident and she didn't want doctors to try and predict the outcome w
In October 2004, her son had a motorbike accident and was admitted to ICU. He had a serious head injury and broken jaw.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 41-50
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Interview 33
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She and her husband had talked about end of life decisions and her husband had said he wouldn't want to live if he would be left brain damaged.
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.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
>>
Aged 51-60
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Interview 20
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They didn't want their relative to be kept alive if she would be brain damaged because she wouldn't want to live like that.
In 2004 his wife and her mother spent six months in hospital and was admitted to ICU three times because of sepsis and heart problems.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 51-60
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Interview 12
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At the time, she just wanted her son to live but now feels this would have been selfish because he wouldn't have wanted to be completely dependent on
In 2005 her 21-year-old son sadly died in ICU. She focuses as much as she can on remembering the good memories they shared.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
>>
Aged 51-60
>>
Interview 07
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Although their son had to have some minor surgery and is still making progress, he has made a remarkable recovery considering how ill he'd been.
Their son was admitted to ICU in 2005 with bacterial meningitis. It was a traumatic time but he is now back home and has made excellent progress.
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