The effect of planned family presence on the family's anxiety at the patient's bedside in burn intensive care unit

Context: The lengthy process of treatment in burns units requires the patient to be hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) for a few days up to several months.
Aims: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of planned family presence at the patient’s bedside in BICU on the family’s anxiety.
Setting and Design: The present randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on the family members of patients hospitalized in the BICU in Sari from March to May 2016.
Materials and Methods: Selected through nonrandom sampling and randomly divided into a control and an intervention group (n = 30 per group). In the intervention group, one patient family member visited the patient for an hour each day from the 4th to the 8th day of admission. The control group received only the routine services of the unit, which meant keeping out all family members from the BICU.
Statistical Analysis Used: The Spielberger State‑Trait Anxiety questionnaire was filled out in both groups on days 3 and 8 after the intervention. The data analysis were performed using SPSS version 21 (IBM).
Results: Comparing the means of the two groups after the intervention using the independent t‑test showed a statistically significant difference (t = 1.51, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The regular planned presence of family members at the patient’s bedside in the BICU can effectively reduce anxiety in the family members and thus improve the care procedure.