Family-Centred Care in the Intensive Care Unit: More than just flexible visiting hours

Abstract

In this Special Issue of Intensive and Critical Care Nursing we are pleased to present the latest international work related to family-centred care in intensive care settings. Our journal is read in over 90 countries and the 16 articles presented in this Special Issue truly reflect the international scope and engagement in family-centred care initiatives. The contributions in this issue not only originate from across Europe, Asia, Oceania and North America, the papers also address family-centred care issues across adult intensive care, paediatric intensive care and neonatal intensive care settings. As Guest Editors, we have been excited to receive papers reporting on familycentred care and on the initiatives being developed to improve care for families. The papers in this Special Issue explore new and emerging perspectives of familycentred care that push the boundaries of this concept. A recent international survey conducted across 40 countries identified that the most common family-centred care initiatives focus on family visitation and presence on rounds, family information, family involvement in care of the patient and family presence during resuscitation (Kleinpell et al., 2018). In this Special Issue you will read more about the impact of family visiting and family participation in care, and about other important influencers on the delivery of family care.