Internet use by family members of intensive care unit patients: a pilot study

Abstract

Dear Editor, The next of kin of critically ill patients experience stress during the intensive care unit (ICU) stay and may develop posttraumatic stress disorder [1, 2], which could be related to a lack of understanding between families and doctors [2, 3]. The Internet represents the most easily accessible source of medical information, and 60–80 % of adults have already searched the Internet for medical information [4]. Internet use by family members has already been assessed for patients from specialities other than intensive care medicine [5], but no study has ever focused on families of ICU patients. Before analyzing the impact of medical information research on the Internet on the physician–family relationship, it is necessary to estimate the proportion of families who resort to the Internet and their characteristics. For this purpose, we conducted a monocentric observational study between May 2012 and April 2013. The study was approved by the hospital’s review board. Patients with ICU length of stay longer than 48 h were prospectively identified. All next of kin visiting the patient were