Challenges Experienced by Family Caregivers of the Adult Intensive Care Unit Patients in Korea: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Consistent with global trends, population aging in South Korea is necessitating increasing admissions to intensive care units (ICU). This integrative review describes the challenges experienced by family caregivers of ICU patients in South Korea and evaluates relevant intervention studies. Using Whittemore and Knafl’s methods, we identify and synthesize findings from 20 (14 descriptive and 6 experimental design) articles and evaluate study quality. South Korean ICU family caregivers reported challenges such as feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability, difficulty in maintaining their own health and well-being, and mixed feelings regarding patients’ transition to the general ward. Intervention studies, which were based on quasi-experimental design, examined modified visiting hours, information provision strategies, nurse-led transitional care programs, and educational support. Findings highlight the current state of the science in this topic area in South Korea. Future studies should use more robust methods, such as longitudinal cohort studies and randomized controlled trials.

The impact of family care visitation programme on patients and caregivers in the intensive care unit: A mixed methods study

“…They were experiencing mental difficulties at the thought that they could not protect the patients-who had become dependent, being entrusted to people other than family members-and that they were in a defenceless state where they could not act independently for the patient (Abdul Halain et al, 2022;Beesley et al, 2018;Rose et al, 2019). However, as shown in the findings, the active efforts of healthcare workers, such as visiting family members in the ICU, can be recognised as strong supportive actions that allow patients and families to actively experience the healing process, rather than a coercive atmosphere centred on healthcare workers (Choi et al, 2021;Jang & Kim, 2019).…”

“…Regarding the first theme, although the families were spatially separated from the patients, they were praying for the patients' recovery outside the hospital. They stayed outside the ICU, feeling apologetic for not being able to stay right next to the patients, who were fighting a difficult battle on the borderline between life and death 24 h a day, accepting their physical discomfort as something they had to endure (Choi et al, 2021;Rose et al, 2019). This may have been due…”

“…to South Korea's family-centred culture, which emphasises family members' devotion to ill relatives and giving them undivided attention, as well as feeling guilty about being comfortable in the patient's presence (Choi et al, 2021;Lee & Yi, 2017;O'Connor et al, 2019).…”

Challenges and Learning Needs of Nurse-Patients’ Family Communication: Focus Group Interviews With Intensive Care Unit Nurses in South Korea

“…Cultural contexts unique in Korean ICUs contributed to our findings. Compared to Western countries, the length and flexibility of visiting hours are more restrictive, and families have limited control over the environment and access to information ( Choi et al, 2021 ). Also, power differentials between professions and genders that are more prevalent in East Asia ( Lee et al, 2021 ) may have contributed to the nurses’ uncertainty about sharing information with families.…”

A comparative study of the perceptions of family members patients hospitalized in intensive and cardiac care units (CCU and ICU) in regard to the importance of family needs in Golestan University of Medical Sciences 2020

“…It is expected that the needs of the families in these wards are different from those of the families in the other wards. [ 8 ] Therefore, it is important and necessary to identify the needs of families with patients admitted to the ICUs. On the other hand, it is an undeniable priority for the nurses working in the ICU and cardiac care unit (CCU) to recognize and address the psychosocial needs of the family members with special patients.…”