The Effect of Family Presence during Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Bedside on Family General Health: a Clinical Trial Study

Background A childs hospitalization in intensive care units causes stress and worry in other family members. This study aimed to determine the effect of family presence during pediatric ICU bedside on family general health. Materials and Methods In this clinical trial study, 46 family members of the pediatrics hospitalized in the ICU in Teaching hospital affiliated with the Lorestan University of Medical Sciences in Khorramabad in April to November 2014 were divided into two groups using the stratified block randomization. Family members of the intervention group were present at the bedside of their patients two hours a day for six days, but family members of the control group did not visit their patients during six day. The general health status of the family members in the two groups was evaluated immediately before and after the visit on the first, sixth and twelfth visit, by using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The data was analyzed using the repeated measure tests and independent ttests. Results Results showed there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of the means of the GHQ scores of the family members before and after the intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion The presence of family members at pediatrics’ bedside and their cooperation in care can improve their general health.