Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (Jan 2010)

Fatores estressantes para familiares de pacientes criticamente enfermos de uma unidade de terapia intensiva Stressful factors for families of critically ill patients of the intensive care unit

  • Jaquilene Barreto da Costa,
  • Claudia Regina Felicetti,
  • Claudia Rejane L. de Macedo Costa,
  • Dalas Cristina Miglioranza,
  • Erica Fernanda Osaku,
  • Gelena Lucinéia G. da Silva Versa,
  • Joanito Solstoski,
  • Péricles Almeida D. Duarte,
  • Silvana Triló Duarte,
  • Suely Mariko Ogasawara,
  • Sheila Taba

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0047-20852010000300003
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 59, no. 3
pp. 182 – 189

Abstract

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OBJETIVO: Identificar os principais estressores ambientais, conforme a percepção de familiares de pacientes internados em uma UTI-G de adultos de um hospital público universitário. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal descritivo com familiares de pacientes gravemente enfermos internados na UTI de um hospital escola. Para a coleta de dados, utilizou-se uma escala contendo 25 itens relacionados a eventos da referida UTI. Para análise dos resultados, as respostas foram classificadas como estressores ambientais, referentes à equipe, ao paciente e à visita. RESULTADOS: Participaram 53 familiares, 67,9% mulheres, com média de idade de 39,7 anos. Os fatores relacionados ao paciente foram mais estressantes do que aqueles referentes à equipe e ao ambiente (p OBJECTIVE:To identify main environment stressors according to the perception of relatives of patients hospitalized in an adult ICU in a university public hospital. METHOD: It is a transversal descriptive study involving family members of critically ill patients hospitalized in an ICU of a school hospital. To collect data we used a 25-item scale related to the referred ICU. For result analysis, answers were classified as environmental stressors concerning the team, patients, and visits. RESULTS: There were 53 family-member participants where 67.9% were women averaging 39.7 years of age. Factors related to patients were more stressing than those concerning the hospital team and the environment (p < 0.005). The most stressed events for the family members were related to uncertainty and fear of the clinical state of the patient, among them reason and length of hospital stay, and witness the patients in a coma. CONCLUSION: Hospital ICU stay of a relative was considered by the close to kin, who actually participated in the process, a stressful event. All participants indicated at least one event that causes stress as capable of provoking diverse emotional reactions. Knowing such events can favor hospital humanization strategies thus providing alternatives to reduce stress levels and subsequent psychiatrical disorder.

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