Actual and ideal professional support for African American family members.

The purposes of this study were to describe and compare, specifically, African American family members of critically ill adults' perceptions of the professional support they would like (ideal) to receive with the professional support they received (actual) from critical care nurses. The Professional Support Questionnaire for Critical Care Nurses Working With Family Members (PSQ) was administered by mail or telephone to 36 African American family members. The PSQ consists of three domains of support--information, comfort, and assurance. Paired t-test analyses indicated there were differences between the descriptions of professional nursing support expected (ideal) by family members and the professional support provided (actual) by critical care nurses. Although there was not an absence of professional nursing support, the degree and frequency to which African American family members wanted nurses to support them were not comparable to the support that nurses provided them.