Medición de la satisfacción de los pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos y sus familiares

Abstract

Objective. To determine the level of satisfaction of family members with care and decision making process and to know the level of satisfaction of patients discharged from ICU. Design. Prospective, observational and descriptive study during 5 months. Setting. ICU of the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander. Subjects. Family of adult patients admitted in ICU and patients who were discharged to the ward. Intervention. Instrument: Family Satisfaction Intensive Care Survey (FS-ICU 34) to family members of patients discharged to the ward. We adapted a questionnaire from FS-ICU 34 to the own patients. Results. 385 questionnaires were obtained, 192 from families of survivors and 162 from patients. 31 from relatives of non-survivors. The majority of relatives were satisfied with overall care and overall decision making (survivors: 83,46±11,83 and 79,42±13,58, respectively; non-survivors: 80,41±17,27 and 79.61±16,93, respectively). Patients were very satisfied with care (84,71±12,85). There is not good agreement between patients and their family. Conclusions. The level of satisfaction of the relatives of patients admitted to ICU is high and also is high the degree of patient satisfaction. Still, there are several points that should be improved as the waiting room environment and the atmosphere of the ICU in terms of noise, privacy, and lighting. When patients are competent, intensivists must resort to them in order to know which their feelings, symptoms, experiences, and also their complaints are. When patients are not able to answer we must ask their family members. Then, they may serve as surrogate to assess appropriateness of care because they are the ones who really know them.