Patients’ and family members’ perceptions of transfer from intensive care

Objective: To describe patients’ and family members’ perceptions of transfer from an intensive care unit (ICU). Design: Qualitative component of a descriptive, cross-sectional survey. Setting: Two university-affiliated tertiary care centres in western Canada. Participants: Fifty-three patients and 35 family members who had been transferred from a medical ICU within the previous 48 hours. Measures: Content analysis of responses to 3 open-ended questions relating to transfer from the ICU. Results: Patients and family members had 3 major responses of transfer from the ICU: positive, neutral or ambivalent, and negative. Although some patients and family members perceived the transfer from the ICU as a sign of progress, many individuals expressed concern about the sudden and dramatic change in the level of care after transfer. Conclusion: Patients and family members perceived the transfer from the ICU as a significant and sometimes negative event. (Heart Lung® 1999;28:210-8)