A study to investigate the needs of relatives of patients on a cardiothoracic ICU, following routine cardiac surgery

The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs of relatives of patients on a cardiothoracic ICU, as perceived by themselves. An exploratory research design was used--a modified replication of a study carried out by Molter (1979) in the USA. Data were collected from a sample of convenience consisting of 14 relatives of patients who had been on a cardiothoracic ICU, following routine cardiac surgery. Subjects were presented with a list of 45 need statements, which they were asked to rank by importance, to identify whether they perceived these needs to have been met, and to determine who was involved in meeting these needs. Data were analysed by the chi-squared test. The 12 most important needs were all perceived to have been met 64.3% or more of the time. Most needs were met by nurses.