Contextualizing critical care family needs through triangulation: an Australian study.

Family needs and concerns within the critical care context have been thoroughly explored from the quantitative perspective utilizing the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI). Nursing interventions have been designed on the basis of the findings from these studies. However, while the CCFNI would seem to encompass all the possible needs of families with a critically ill loved one, at no time were the family members themselves consulted at length in regard to the development of the instrument, or in any subsequent validation studies. Individual reality generates the variables that are measured in a needs analysis, and the family member experiences encompass dimensions that are not easily assessed by quantification. In fact the unique experiences of family members underpin their perception of need. Methodological triangulation formed the basis for this study to determine the degree of confirmation (or otherwise) between family member respondents to the CCFNI (n = 105) and those participating in an interview (n = 26) designed to explore needs and experiences. The qualitative data served the purpose of completeness by providing a more contextual representation of needs and therefore greater depth of understanding of the whole construct. The results indicate that, while there were many areas of convergence between the two samples, there were also areas of diveregence. Two major needs emerged from the interviews that are not represented on the CCFNI: the need of family members to provide reassurance and support to the patient; and their need to protect (others as well as the patient). A more complete understanding of family needs was obtained through the contextualization of their experiences.