Interview Section : Healthtalkonline

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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:

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 31-40

Interview 15

Interview 15

Age at Interview: 37
Sex: Female
Background: Housewife, married, no children. Ethnic background/nationality: White British.

Brief outline:Her husband was admitted to ICU because of an emergency heart problem, which was never diagnosed. She praised the care and professionalism of the ICU staff.

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Accept support, ask questions if you need information and be aware that when the patient comes home there will be good and bad days.
Print I would say put your trust in the staff because they are superb. Don't be afraid to ask anything, because they don't mind answering your questions and even something which is silly, take the fear out of it. Don't be as frightened because there is this massive stigma when you say Intensive Care, or ventilator or life support machine. Just that they are doing it because they want whoever to get better and also if possible get rid of all your everyday life things. Pass them over to somebody because that is the biggest help, because then you can concentrate on the job in hand, not worrying about feeding the cat. You know things like that, if it is at all possible. Let somebody else take care of all that minutiae for you. And how about when someone comes home after being in Intensive Care? Is there any message or advice you could give to them then? Try if at all possible to make the person that has been in the hospital realise that just because they have come home doesn't mean that there has been a magic switch to say now they are well. It is fine to feel tired or lousy or anything and to recuperate, and just be there for them.

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