Background & aim: In today’s world, satisfaction is considered an important indicator in evaluating the quality-of-care services. Due to limitations such as low level of consciousness of patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), family members play an important role in assessing satisfaction and participating in treatment decision making. As a result, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the level of satisfaction of family members and its relationship with their engagement in the care of patients hospitalized in ICUs.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with the participation of 70 family members of patients admitted to the ICU of Tohid Hospital in sanandaj, who were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through Family satisfaction questionnaire and Family engagement questionnaire and analyzed using Spearman, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric statistical tests.
Results: The mean age of the participants was reported as 39.54 ± 9.91 years. The overall mean satisfaction score was 70.58 ± 18.77, which was above the median score. The highest score was related to satisfaction with the care provided being 73.13 ± 18.06, while satisfaction with decision-making was 67% ± 22.34. Family members' engagement in patient care was measured at 76.76 ± 17.78. Spearman’s correlation test revealed a statistically significant relationship between overall satisfaction and its subscales with family engagement, indicating that higher engagement was associated with greater satisfaction.
Conclusion: Given the direct and significant correlation between family members’ satisfaction and their engagement, it is recommended that appropriate interventions be designed and implemented to enhance family involvement in treatment process and clinical decision-making, thereby improving the quality-of-care services. Additionally, health system managers are encouraged to adopt specific policies that enable greater family engagement through nursing staff.