RESEARCH IN BRIEF Effectiveness of a needs-based education programme for families with a critically ill relative in an intensive care unit Yeung-Lin Chiu MN, RGN, RN Intensive Care Unit, NDH Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong Wai-Tong Chien BN, MPhil, RMN, RTN, PG Dip Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Lai-Wah Lam BN, MPhil, RGN Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Submitted for publication: 9 April 2003 Accepted for publication: 27 July 2003 Aims Critical illness and the unplanned admission of a relative to an intensive care unit (ICU) can result in a number of physiological and psychological problems, not only for the patient, but also for family members. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured education programme for families with a critically ill patient, carried out on the first 2 days of hospitalization in an ICU in Hong Kong, based on the result of an assessment of needs. Methods A pre- and post-test, untreated group design, was used. A convenient sample of family members, who had a critically ill relative being admitted to an ICU of a regional general hospital in Hong Kong, was recruited over a period of 2 months. The subjects recruited in the first month of data collection were designated as the control group, and those recruited in the second month were designated as the experimental group. During the first 2 days of the patients’ hospitalization, the experimental group received two structured, 1-hour infor- mation-giving sessions, conducted by the principal resear- cher. The sessions were formulated according to the needs assessment results, using a 45-item Chinese version of the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (C-CCFNI) by Lee et al. (2000). The needs statements, with importance rated 4 or 5, were addressed in two education sessions. The control group received a routine practice of orientation and explan- ation, by the nurses in the ICU. It consisted of mainly an introduction of the ICU environment and facilities, the daily routine and visiting hours, and a brief explanation of patient’s condition and treatment plan. Both groups were asked, during patient admission, to complete a pretest questionnaire consisting of the C-CCFNI, the Chinese version of the State (C-TAI) and Trait (C-SAI) Anxiety Inventory (Shek, 1993), and a demographic data sheet. Based on the result of the needs assessment, the experimental group received the health education on an individual basis, arranged over two consecutive days. After that, both groups completed the post-test questionnaire, consisting of the C-CCFNI and the C-SAI. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize the demographic characteristics and the pre- and post-test data, and a comparison was made between the two groups. The level of significance of all the statistical tests was set at 0.05. Permission to access the study site and ethical approval were sought from the ethics committees of the target hospital and the Clinical Research Ethics Committee, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Correspondence: Wai-Tong Chien, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 7/F., Esther Lee Building, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR. Telephone: þ 852 2609 8099, E-mail: wtchien@cuhk.edu.hk Ó 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 655