Research Project
FICUS – For Families in the Intensive Care Unit
A stay in the intensive care unit never affects only the patients themselves – family members also experience fear, overwhelm, and emotional distress. At the same time, they take on important roles: they provide support, accompany the patient, and are involved in decision-making – often without receiving any support themselves.
The FICUS research project explores how families can be comprehensively supported by nursing staff and the entire care team during this exceptional situation. At its core is a new, family-focused care model delivered by specially trained nurses in collaboration with the interprofessional ICU team.
This model is being thoroughly examined in four interconnected studies:
Effectiveness Study:
This study investigates whether the new care model improves the quality of support (satisfaction, communication, assistance) provided by the treatment team, reduces the burden and negative mental health effects on relatives, and strengthens the family’s ability to cope with the situation.
Qualitative Evaluation with Family Members:
To understand how families experience the care model, interviews were conducted with relatives. Their experiences and perspectives help refine and further develop the model from the viewpoint of those directly affected.
Implementation Study with Healthcare Professionals:
This multi-phase study examines how the model can be put into practice, which factors facilitated or hindered its introduction, and what will be needed in the future to ensure it becomes sustainably embedded in ICU routines.
Health Economic Evaluation:
This analysis evaluates whether the new care model is also economically viable – for the healthcare system, for society, and for the families themselves.
Together, these four studies provide a comprehensive picture:
How can we support families in intensive care units in a targeted, evidence-based, and collaborative way – and what conditions and structures are necessary to make this possible?
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