Family participation in essential care activities: Needs, perceptions, preferences, and capacities of intensive care unit patients, relatives, and healthcare providers—An integrative review

Background: Family participation in essential care activities may benefit both patients and relatives. Objectives: In this integrative review, we aimed to identify needs, perceptions, preferences, and capacities regarding family participation in essential care in intensive care units (ICUs) from the patient's, relatives', and ICU healthcare providers' perspective. Review method used: An integrative review method was used. Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and reference lists of included articles were searched, from inception to January 25, 2021. Review methods: We included studies on family participation in essential care activities during ICU stay which reported associated needs, perceptions, preferences and capacities. Quality assessment was performed with the Kmet Standard Quality Assessment Criteria developed for evaluating primary research papers in a variety of fields, and an extensive qualitative thematic analysis was performed on the results. Results: Twenty-seven studies were included. Quality scores varied from 0.45 to 0.95 (range: 0–1). Patients’ needs, perceptions, preferences, and capacities are largely unknown. Identified themes on needs and perceptions were relatives' desire to help the patient, a mostly positive attitude among all involved, stress regarding patient safety, perceived beneficial effects, relatives feeling in control—ICU healthcare providers' concerns about loss of control. Preferences for potential essential care activities vary. Relatives want an invitation and support from ICU healthcare providers. Themes regarding capacities were knowledge, skills, education and training, and organisational conditions. Conclusions: Implementation of family participation in essential care requires education and training of relatives and ICU healthcare providers to address safety and quality of care concerns, though most studies lack further specification.