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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
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Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 41-50
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Interview 03
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On the long journey to the hospital she just wanted her son to be alive, but didn't know how serious the accident had been or if she'd have to stay ov
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 ICU.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 31-40
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Interview 01
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Her sister's friend sometimes drove people to the hospital, looked after her sister's home and garden, and visited her every day in ICU.
In March 2005 her sister was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome. This is a rare disorder of the peripheral nerves, those outside the brain and spinal chord.
Intensive care
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Intensive care: experiences of family & friends
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Aged 51-60
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Interview 32
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Her neighbours gave her lifts to the hospital and took it in turns to cook for her so she'd have a meal waiting for her when she got home late after v
His husband was admitted to ICU before and after a kidney pancreas transplant. She spent three weeks travelling to the hospital as well as working.
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