Medscape: From Hindrance to Help: The Test of ‘My Person’ in the ICU

“When intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalists think of patient-centered care, their mind zeroes in with laser focus often on the patient — and only the patient.

The job of the ICU team is to stabilize the critically ill individual in front of them, use evidence-based practices, and move toward recovery. But patients who are critically ill don’t come in a vacuum. They come with families and other primary caregivers, whose own emotional state, knowledge of the patient’s baseline, and strong desire to help can improve the care process or, paradoxically, derail it.

Zac Shepherd, a longtime ICU nurse and currently an ICU travel nurse with Aya Healthcare, said that with their chaos and frantic activity, ICUs can be incredibly dehumanizing places. He said that asking a caregiver for their input and reminding them that “we’re all in this together” can reinforce some small sense of control over the events that are transpiring.“

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