The Relationship between the Perception of the Role of Nurses in Relation to the Family with Satisfaction and Worry of Families of Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Introduction: Patient hospitalization in the intensive care unit puts families in a whirlpool of emotional stress. Due to the importance of nurses in addressing the needs and worries of this family, this study investigates the relationship between the family’s perception of the roles of nurses with satisfaction and worries in intensive care units.   Methods: This is a cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study. The study samples include all the families of adult patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Gonbad city hospitals (2020-2021), of which 140 people, who were included in the study using convenience sampling method. Data collection tools included questionnaires of family members' perception of the role of intensive care unit nurses, worry questionnaire and family satisfaction questionnaire of patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Data were analyzed using independent t-statistics, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression coefficient using SPSS version 22. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: Among the families, 75% with a mean and standard deviation of 3.04 ± 1.11 had the most perception of the role of nurses. The mean and standard deviation of family satisfaction was 73.98±20.87. Family perception of the role of nurses towards them showed a weak positive and significant correlation with satisfaction (P=0.002, r=0.250). Also, worry could not explain the family's perception of the role of nurses. Conclusions: The results of this research show that the family's perception of the role of nurses has a weak correlation with their satisfaction and concern. How the nurses themselves understand their roles towards the family should be investigated in future research.