Nurses assisting families with the uncertainty of traumatic brain injury

Abstract

In the intensive care unit (ICU), registered nurses are one of the primary educators and support providers for families. This study examined nurses' perceptions of education and support provided to families of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The research tool, questionnaire, was modified from Campbell's (1988) questionnaire, that was used to assess families' needs after TBI. The findings indicated that the majority of the nurses perceive they are educating the families about the ICU environment, physical care, patient condition, prognosis, and offering comfort and support, but only 40% and 50% of the time respectively are families being offered guidance to communicate and a sense of hope consistently. Thirty-five percent of the nurses felt they were not adequately educated about the pathophysiology and prognosis of TBI. Further research should explore what educational and supportive assistance families receive from nurses, and what education nurses need to work with these families.