There are many barriers to good communication in intensive care. The authors used a Delphi technique to develop a set of ‘top tips' for good communication between doctors, patients and families in this environment. They worked with members of the Patients and Relatives Committee of the Intensive Care Society and ICUsteps, who have had experience of being patients or of having a relative who had been a patient receiving intensive care.
StrickerKKimbergerOSchmidlinK. Family satisfaction in the intensive care unit: What makes the difference?Intensive Care Med2009;35:2051–59.
2.
NelsonJPuntilloKPronovostP. In their own words: Patients and families define high-quality palliative care in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med2010;38:808–18.
3.
RubulottaFGulloALapichinoG. The competency-based training in intensive care medicine in Europe (CoBaTrICE) Italian collaborative: National results from the Picker survey. Minerva Anestesiol2009;75:117–24.
4.
DavidsonJJonesCBienvenuJ. Family response to critical illness: Postintensive care syndrome-family. Crit Care Med2012;40:618–24.
5.
RothenHStrickerKHeylandD. Family satisfaction with critical care: Measurements and messages. Curr Opin Crit Care2010;16:623–31.
6.
WadeDHardyRHowellLMythenM. Identifying clinical and acute psychological risk factors for PTSD after critical care: A systematic review. Minerva Anestesiol2013;79:944–63.
7.
AzoulayEPochardFKentish-BarnesN. Risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms in family members of intensive care unit patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med2005;171:987–94.
8.
AzoulayETimsitJSprungC. Prevalence and factors of intensive care unit conflicts. The Conflictus study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med2009;180:853–60.
9.
WallRCurtisJCookeCEngelbergR. Family satisfaction in the ICU: Differences between families of survivors and non survivors. Chest2007;132:1425–33.
10.
HeylandDRockerGDodekP. Family satisfaction with care in the intensive care unit: Results of a multiple center study. Crit Care Med2002;30:1413–18.
11.
DavidsonJPowersKHedatayK. Clinical practice guidelines for support of the family in the patient-centered intensive care unit: American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force 2004–2005. Crit Care Med2007;35:605–22.
12.
SheltonWMooreCSocarisS. The effect of a family support intervention on family satisfaction, length-of-stay, and cost of care in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med2010;38:1315–20.
13.
LautretteADarmonMMegarbaneB. A communication strategy and brochure for relatives of patients dying in the ICU. N Engl J Med2007;356:469–78.
14.
ShawDDavidsonJSmildeR. Multidisciplinary team training to enhance family communication in the ICU. Crit Care Med2014;42:265–71.
15.
CurtisJRCiechanowskiPSDowneyL. Development and evaluation of an interprofessional communication intervention to improve family outcomes in the ICU. Contemp Clin Trials2012;33:1245–54.
