Interprofessional care for the ICU patient’s family: solitary teamwork

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore how interprofessional family care by ICU teams was reflected in their daily work. Data were collected from four ICUs in Norway. Fieldwork and focus groups with ICU nurses and physicians were conducted in addition to dyadic and individual interviews of surgeons and internists. In line with a constructivist grounded theory approach, the core category “solitary teamworking” was constructed. Together with three sub-categories, proximity and distance, silent interprofessional work and a connecting link, this core category conceptualizes interprofessional family care as a form of contradictory cooperation where physicians and nurses alternate between working alone and as a team. The sub-categories reveal three notable characteristics of interprofessional family care: (1) it is emotionally challenging, affected by proximity and distance to the families and between the clinicians, (2) it is silent, at a strategic and organizational level, and (3) nurses and family members have an essential role as a connecting link in the ICU team. Interprofessional family care needs strong involvement by an organization that supports and prioritizes family care, includes family members as an active part of the ICU team and emphasizes interprofessional dialogue.