Critical illness may be defined as a disease or state in which death is possible or imminent.
It is a life-threatening event that comes without warning, allowing little time for families
and patients to adjust (Titler, Cohen, & Craft, 1991). Classic studies have shown that critical
illness in an intensive care unit (ICU) can result in a number of physiological and psychological
changes to the patient and their family. A critical illness requiring a stay in a
critical care unit has been identified as an experience having many stressors. The entire
family is affected when a family member is in an ICU.
Nurses are key figures with whom critically ill patients and their family members interact.
They are intimately involved with patients and families, and as such become a part of the
family system during acute illness (Goodell & Hanson Harmon, 1999). The role that the
family actually plays in the ICU may depend on the interactions and the types of relationships
that develop between the nurses and the family of the critically ill patient associated with
hospitalisation of their critically ill member. Nurses need to understand the family's experiences
and identify families’ needs associated with hospitalisation of critically ill family
members in order to help them cope with this catastrophic event in their lives.