Nursing research has described the self-reported needs of families of critical care patients; however, very little has been written about specific intervention and assessment strategies for families experiencing critical illness. The purpose of this article is to illustrate a process for analyzing nurse-family interactions in critical care settings and to suggest methods of improving family nursing in critical care based on Bowen’s family systems theory. Bowen’s family systems theory is described and a case study is presented and discussed to illustrate the application of the major concepts of Bowen’s family systems theory in analyzing family dynamics in critical care. In this article, Bowen’s family systems theory is expanded to encompass an analysis of the family-like nurse-to-nurse relationships that occur on nursing units. Specific recommendations are made for critical care nurses who wish to implement family-focused nursing care with a basis in Bowen’s family systems theory.
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