Past studies have examined the effects of critical illness on both the patient and family
members. Research studies have also been done on nurses’ ICU experiences of patients and
family members. These studies were done either from the perspective of nurses, patients,
and family members individually or between nurses and patients, nurses and family, and
patients and family. There is a paucity of research studies in the literature conducted on the
triad of nurses, patients, and family members looking at the experience of critical illness and
their perspective on each other. The majority of the studies related to critical illness and the
families are also quantitative, with a focus on selected areas of concern and/or selected individuals
in the family (Eggenberger & Nelms, 2007). Studies that describe the experiences
of the triad of nurses, patients, and family members during critical illness in the ICU reveal
a gap in the literature that is left unexplored and one that this researcher sought to fill.