Towards open intensive care: A process of change in an Intensive Care Unit
Maddalena Tomas
This paper illustrates the process of change towards the opening up of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a regional hospital in Veneto. There is a brief description of the main reasons for opening up ICUs and of difficulties and opposition. A business plan accompanied the process of change; this plan, which a psychologist contributed to, involved the entire staff. Before the opening up of the ICU a specially devised questionnaire was administered to the entire staff. After this, a training course was run by the psychologist; the meetings focused on effective and assertive communication in the team, the communication skills of the health workers and end of life.
The service charter and regulations for staff and relatives were reviewed. Eventually, after six experimental months of the open Intensive Care Unit, the questionnaire was re-administered to the entire staff. Analysis of the results revealed an increase in overall satisfaction regarding the opening
up of the ICU and a change in two questions about the difficulties felt by nurses in relation to relatives being present. Finally the results of the questionnaire are discussed and some final proposals are made.
Keywords
Open Intensive Care Unit, Assertive communication, Communication skills of health workers.
