The ICU experience for all the participants in this study as evidenced by behaviours is
interdependence. The nurse learns that people never act in isolation but are influenced by
the environment and, in turn, affect the environment (Roy, 2009). The nurses, physicians
and family members and the intensive care unit are considered the environment for this
study. They are interdependent with one another. The patient’s behaviour and adaptation
during critical illness is greatly affected by the influence that the family fosters in them.
Nurses, patients, and family members are intertwined through the care that the nurse provides
to fulfil a purpose, which is maintaining, restoring, and improving health.