Family-Centered Communication in the ICU During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Abstract

Family-centered care is an “approach to health care that is respectful of and responsive to individual families’ needs and values” [1]. Critical illness represents a major life-altering event for both patients and their families. Often, admission to an ICU is unplanned and associated with a life-threatening illness. Families experience high levels of stress as their family member’s condition changes unpredictably, and the outcomes are uncertain. Family-centered care in the ICU supports the recognition of the essential role of families to serve as the patient’s voice and advocate while they are critically ill. Communication is an important component of family-centered care in the ICU [1]. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2018, 2025.