Perception of relatives of patients admitted in Intensive Care Units with regard to the practice of Physical Therapy and identification of their needs

Abstract

This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, that aimed at verifying the knowledge of relatives of patients hospitalized at the Intensive Care Unit of Hospital de Clínicas at Campinas State University about the performance of the intensive physical therapy, as well as at identifying their needs. We interviewed 60 relatives, questioning them about the Physical Therapy service. The Critical Family Need Inventory was also applied. We observed that most relatives were unaware of the physical therapy team performance at the Intensive Care Unit; however, those who knew about it attributed the highest score to the service. Regarding the relatives' needs, we observed that 56.7% judged necessary to know the facts about the patients' progress; 60% would like to be sure that the patient is receiving the best treatment, and 71.7% would like more flexibility in days and time of visits. It was possible to observe lack of information regarding the action of physical therapy at the Intensive Care Unit and to identify the relatives' needs, allowing improvement actions. The Intensive Care Unit of Hospital de Clínicas at Campinas State University has adapted the physical space and implemented rooms for family reception, with the help of family support and humanization groups. Along with these actions, it was implemented a specialization course in Respiratory Physical Therapy at the Adults Intensive Care Unit and visual aids regarding its importance and actions to a better reception and understanding of the family were distributed.