Western journal of nursing research
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Critical illness and subsequent hospitalization are stressful for patients and their family members. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the family members' perceptions of their immediate needs within 48 to 96 hours following admission of a relative to a critical care unit in Hong Kong and to compare their perceptions with the critical care nurses' perceptions of the family needs. ⋯ The 10 most important and 10 least important family needs were identified by family members and by nurses and the results were compared. Conclusions were drawn about the implications for nurses in planning and implementing quality family-centered care for critically ill patients.