Families' View on Primary Nursing in Intensive Care Units - A Cross-Sectional Study.

This was a convenience survey, not a randomised comparison, so it cannot show that primary nursing caused the ratings. The groups were not comparable: primary nursing patients stayed longer (median 26 days versus 12 days) and received more intensive therapy. Standard care was still used during primary nursing for short stays or nurse shortages, so some standard care families may have received care similar to primary nursing. The questionnaire was validated in a geriatric setting, not in ICU. Fewer family members were analysed in primary nursing (63) than standard care (150), and a before-and-after comparison was not possible. Family members completed questionnaires while patients were still receiving ICU care, which may have influenced socially desirable answers. Open visiting policies were not in place, and the ICUs had specific cardiac and surgical populations, limiting generalisability.

The study was financed by the own funds of the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW, Ruhr University Bochum, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude primary nursing improves family satisfaction. Most satisfaction ratings were similar, only three of 14 items differed, and primary nursing patients had a median ICU stay of 26 days versus 12 days for standard care patients and received more intensive therapy.