2026/03/17 by Renet Anne, Souppart Virginie, Denise Thomas +4 · 1 voice
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · #Family Caregiving in Mental Illness #Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units #Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders
paper · doi:10.1111/nicc.70451
openalex publication_date 2026/03/17 · openalex created_date 2026/03/18 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
BACKGROUND: Caring for a loved one in the intensive care unit (ICU) during a critical illness can place significant emotional strain on families, often resulting in anxiety and depression. Central to this experience is waiting-a defining, yet understudied, component of ICU life. Few studies have explored how the intensity and uncertainty of the ICU environment shape the challenges associated with waiting. AIM: This study explores relatives' lived experience of waiting in the ICU, focussing on its emotional, spatial and relational dimensions. STUDY DESIGN: We employed a two-phase qualitative design. The first phase involved exploratory observations across three ICUs to gain contextual insights and identify themes relevant to ICU visitors. These findings informed the development of a semi-structured interview guide for the second phase. In the second phase, we conducted qualitative interviews with family members in two ICUs. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, anonymized and analysed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Observations were carried out over 5 days in June 2024, involving informal contact with 39 relatives and 14 interviews. In the second phase, 17 of 21 invited participants were interviewed over 4 months. Four key themes emerged: Waiting in the ICU-shaped by personal histories and the patient's condition; What we wait for-highlighting diverse expectations; The experience of waiting-a fragile balance of apprehension, understanding and coping; and The waiting room-both a refuge and a site of socialization and concern. CONCLUSIONS: Waiting in the ICU is an active, emotionally charged process shaped by institutional structures, personal strategies and ethical ties. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Recognizing families' dependence on the care team, affirming their agency and designing inclusive, humane waiting environments are essential to supporting families and promoting family-centred care in the ICU.