Authors (including presenting author) :
Sun TS, Wong LS, Lee CH, Leung KK
Affiliation :
Intensive Care Unit, Department of Medicine, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital
Introduction :
Conditions of critically ill patients are always vulnerable and unpredictable. Family members may experience either a slow or unsure process of recovery of the loved one. Their experience may also include worry ad unable to express their love and concern to intubated, sedated and being isolated patient in ICU. Regards memo was designed for family members to leave a few words on a piece of heart shaped memo paper to express their emotions and support to their loved one. Hopefully, this project can reduce patient/family members feeling of helplessness, nervousness as well as enhance comunication.
Objectives :
1. Support ICU patient, relative and family members in critical moment
2. Encourage family members to express their feeling and support to patients
3. Decrease family members/ patient anxiety and feeling of uncertainty
4. Enhance communication and build up rapport with patient’s family
Methodology :
1. Preliminary survey to explore family needs was conducted through face to face discussion.
2. Set up questionnaires to investigate patient/ family members feeling, what they think and can do in this critical moment.
3. Design the regards memo.
4. Introduce and implement this project in the unit.
5. Promote the regards memo to family members and encourage them to express their feeling and support to their loved one.
6. Survey conducted to collect feedback and evaluation of this project to patients and relatives
Result & Outcome :
From August 2018 to October 2019, 50 regards memo were written by family members. A post satisfaction survey was conducted to evaluate the outcome 1. The size of the memo is appropriate 2. Family members feel that their feeling and concern were being addressed 3. Enhance the rapport between the nurses and family members 4. Family members were appreciative and eager to write regards memo
