Effect of Family Involvement in Patient Care on Preventing Intensive Care Units Acquired Weakness

Abstract

Background: The Intensive care units acquired weakness detected in 30 to 50% of ICU patients leading to high morbidity and complication, family engaging family in early mobility process that reported benefits including reduced ICU-acquired weakness, improved functional recovery within the hospital, improved walking distance at hospital discharge and reduced hospital length of stay. This study aimed to Determine the effect of family involvement in patient care on preventing intensive care units acquired weakness. Methods: Quasi experimental research was conducted in surgical and general ICUs in the main Mansoura university and emergency hospitals, which included 60 adult newly ICU admitted patients. Tools: Three tools were used to collect the data of this study namely “Intensive care unit acquired weakness assessment”, “Early progressive mobility protocol” and “Patients’ family satisfaction with early mobility protocol involvement”. Results: Only 6.7% of the intervention group had a weakness at the end of the study with no significant difference (0.150) was found in muscle strength from the start and end of the study. While about a third of the control group (26.7%) had a weakness at the end of the study. A statistically significant difference (0.038) in muscle strength was found between intervention and control group. Furthermore, About two-thirds (70%) of patients' family members of the intervention group were satisfied by giving them a role in participation in their patient care. Conclusion: Critically ill patients whose families were involved in their mobility protocol had less intensive care units acquired weakness rates than those who were not. Recommendation: Evaluation of muscle strength should be a routine part of ICU examination. Family centered care concept should be adopted in ICUs by allocating them in daily activities involvement with enough support and cooperation