Participants in this study were five nurses, five patients and five family members. The nurse
participants were one man and four women who were between the ages of 25 to 60 years,
held a bachelor of science in nursing, were registered nurses in New York State, and had at
least two years of critical care experience in the ICU. Patient participants included four men
and one woman ranging in age from 22 to 70 years, who were acutely, critically ill patients
in the ICU prior to their transfer to the regular, medical floor. The patient’s diagnosis was
not a criterion for participant selection. The sample of family members included the patients’
spouses, a daughter, and a patient’s mother who were at the bedside most often in the ICU.
The family members included one man and four women, ranging in age from 22 to 70
years. Approval for the study was obtained from the institutional review board at a university
and the institution where the study took place. All participants voluntarily signed an informed
consent after the researcher gave a thorough explanation of the study purpose, procedures,
risks, and benefits.