The effect of family member's presence during teaching rounds on their anxiety in cardiac intensive care unit

Context: The family‑centered round as a dimension of family‑centered care has become a challenging issue in adult patient settings. There is insufficient evidence of the impact of the presence of the adult patient’s family members during the teaching round on their anxiety.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of family presence during teaching rounds on their anxiety in cardiac intensive care units (CICUs).

Settings and Design: This interventional study was conducted at a CICU in Ali ibn Abi Talib Hospital in Rafsanjan, Iran, from May to August 2018.

Materials and Methods: Sixty hospitalized patients at CICU were selected based on inclusion criteria and then, randomly assigned into two equal‑sized groups (with and without family members’ presence during teaching rounds). The anxiety score of family members was measured before and after rounds using the Spielberger State‑Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software using Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Chi‑square test, independent‑sample t‑test, and paired sample t‑test, at the significance level of <0.05.

Results: Two groups were similar in terms of demographic variables. The STAI score in the family members’ presence group significantly decreased after intervention (P < 0.001). However, the STAI score in without the family presence group did not change significantly (P = 0.175). After the intervention, the STAI score in the family members’ presence group was significantly lower than the without family presence group (P = 0.016; effect size = 0.642).

Conclusions: Family presence during teaching rounds at CICU can reduce their anxiety.