Ashlynn Petersen

February 4, 2018
Article Review 1
Family Centered Care

Manente, L. (2017). Transitioning Patients from the Intensive Care Unit to the General Pediatric
Unit: A Piece of the Puzzle in Family-Centered Care. Pediatric Nursing, 43(2), 77-95.

This article presented a new program in transitioning patients from the ICU to general pediatric

units that promotes family centered care. After noticing high parental stress and worry before and after

the transition, a pre-program survey was administered to 20 parents post-transfer that showed that most

parents were not fully comfortable with the transition process, they were not given any information

regarding the transition, the amenities of the general unit were not discussed, and there was no preparation

given from the ICU staff prior to the transition. They also reviewed 12 other studies that addressed this

transition and found that many described a lack of education among ICU and general unit nurses on how

to transition, recommended that a designated person be established, and transfer plans should be

organized and established prior to and after the transfer.

Based on these methods and findings, they designed a transition program to attempt to reduce

stress for patients and families. This transition program included a charge nurse requesting a list of

patients who will soon transfer from the ICU. They charge nurse visits all these families, providing

introductions, explanations of transfer process and that transfer is the next step to home, providing

pamphlets of information that discuss care in the general care units, including vitals, rounding, the change

in nurse to patient ratio, the amenities available on the unit, and child life services. Over a 6 week period,

this transition program was used with 26 patients and families. The results found that 100% of these

families verbally expressed that this process was helpful. They expressed that prior to, they were unsure

of the amenities and care process, and that this information was extremely beneficial in reducing their

stress surrounding the transition.

I chose this article thinking about the many families on 8east who transfer to us from the Cardiac

Intensive Care Unit. We constantly have families transitioning to and from the ICU. While I do not know

much about the transfer process for families at our hospital, I couldn’t help but think that it might be
stress producing regardless. I found that this transition program, offering a designated transition person,

information, and a pamphlet, could be very helpful in providing a bit of stress relief to the parents and

families in our hospital. Based on their results, it seemed to really have a strong impact on the families

who were given the information and preparation.

From what I know about family centered care, we know that it is important to look at the family

as a whole unit. The family is that child’s home case, and it should be their constant. In order to best serve

our patients, we have to support the entire family. We also know from child life theory, that preparation is

extremely beneficial in reducing some stress and anxiety for patients and families. This article presents a

piece of family centered care that supports families in their transition from the ICU to general patient

units. It adds to my knowledge of how to support families during their hospitalization at a stressful time

such as transferring from an intensive care, high technology unit, to a general unit where the care is much

less intensive. It spikes my curiosity to find out how what preparation, if any, is given to our patients and

families when they make this transition.