Hola a tod@s, my dear friends.

Today I would like to share a review article published on  Current Opinion in Critical Care, signed by Schmidt and Azoulay. I think it´s a fantastic paper.

ICU is perhaps the place of the hospital were families suffer most. To have a family member admitted to the ICU and the subsequent consequences generates stress, anxiety and depression, and these symptoms can be prevented or minimized. It is described the postintensive care syndrome family and practitioners are more aware of that and we should also focus on the family.

70% of the families present anxiety and up to 35% depression, as well as the situations of stress during the acute phase and post-traumatic stress. These symptoms affect the couple, and unfortunately can keep in time with complicated duels.

The family assumes the role of care and decision-making, two ballots very difficult to carry out and that only are understand well when everyone has had to go through this.

They are necessary to minimize the brutal impact that this vital event:

– Communication strategies
– Adequate information.
– Reorganize the functioning of the ICU: flexible schedules, assigning a team of care continued.
– Make the family participate in care
– Psychological screening of family members at risk.
– Monitoring postUCI.

Let´s go to see how we launch it!
Happy Thursday,

Gabi