"I hope the staff read my mother's story and appreciate the life she lived" what families want ICU healthcare professionals to know about their loved one's.

Résumé

PURPOSE: Understanding patients as persons is foundational to person-centred care, yet this is particularly challenging in intensive care units (ICUs), where patients are often unable to communicate. The Patient Dignity Question (PDQ)-"What do we need to know about you as a person in order to give you the best care possible?"-offers a brief means of eliciting personhood. This study qualitatively examined PDQ responses provided by family members of critically ill ICU patients to understand what families want clinicians to know about their loved ones.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Family members of critically ill adults admitted to four ICUs across three hospitals in Winnipeg, Canada, were recruited between July 2021 and August 2022. Following informed consent, participants completed brief PDQ-guided interviews conducted by trained researchers. Response summaries were verified with participants and analyzed using an interpretive description approach. Multiple coders iteratively identified themes describing patient personhood from the family perspective.RESULTS: PDQ responses from 33 family members revealed a central theme of Shared Narratives of Personal Identity, encompassing four interrelated themes: Patients at Their Core, Key Elements of the Person's Story, Illness Experience, and Messages from Family to Staff. Families highlighted personal qualities, relationships, values, roles, spirituality, life experiences, and the impact of illness. PDQs also conveyed practical care recommendations, gratitude, and hopes for comfort, dignity, and compassion.CONCLUSIONS: Family members provide rich insights into ICU patients' personhood. The PDQ is a feasible, low-resource tool for integrating personhood into ICU care and may support dignity-conserving, person-centred, and family-centred practice in high-acuity settings.