Attitudes, Experience and Adaptation to Family Presence in the ICU

NCT07887009 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 1 other identifier: 26223RUIMIZ
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of the study is to verify how healthcare professionals in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) experience the presence of family members before and after a more flexible visiting policy is introduced. The main question is : Does attitude and perception of the ICU staff regarding family presence in the ICU change after a period during which a more flexible visitation policy was implemented in daily care? Additional exploratory primary question Is sensitivity to stress related to the initial attitudes and perceptions of ICU- staff regarding family presence in the ICU, and to the way these attitudes and perceptions change after a period of implementation and adjustment to the more flexible visitation policy? The study consists of two main measurements: Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire before the change in visiting policy and again several months after the new policy has been introduced. The study also looks at which factors may make family presence feel more supportive or more demanding for healthcare professionals. Therefor some participants may also complete a short questionnaire about their experiences during work shifts. The visiting policy itself is part of routine ICU care and is not decided by the study.

Conditions

ICU Staff Attitudes Toward Family Presence; ICU Staff Experience of Family Presence; Adaptation to Extended Family Presence in the ICU; Association Between Stress Sensitivity and Attitudes Toward Family Presence

Keywords

Intensive Care Unit; ICU staff; family presence; visiting policy; staff attitudes; staff experience; adaptation; family-centered care; BAVIQ; stress sensitivity; IPIP-NEO

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Changes from baseline in healthcare providers'attitudes and perceptions regarding family presence in the adult ICU (Intensive Care Unit)

  The change in healthcare providers' attitudes and perceptions is measured using the BAVIQ score prior to the introduction of the more flexible visitation policy (baseline) and six months after implementation (Follow-up) . The primary out is the change in the BAVIQ score between the baseline measurements and Follow-up. No predifined threshold is used; scores are analysed as continuous measures. Time points: T0 = baseline time point, before implementation of the extended visiting policy. T1 = implementation time point, during the early implementation period of the extended visiting policy. T2 = follow-up time point, approximately 6 months after implementation of the extended visiting policy.

  Baseline (T0) assessed once before implementation of the extended visiting policy. Follow- up (T2) assessed once approximately 6 months after implementation of the extended visiting policy.

• association between individual vulnerability to stress and overload and attitudes and perceptions regarding family presence.

  The susceptibility to individual vulnerability to stress and overload is measured using the IPIP-NEO facet scales for Anxiety and Vulnerability at baseline. The outcome measures are the IPIP-NEO Anxiety and Vulnerability facet scores, their association with the BAVIQ score at baseline, and their association with the change in the BAVIQ score between baseline and follow up. Time points: T0 = baseline time point, before implementation of the extended visiting policy. T1 = implementation time point, during the early implementation period of the extended visiting policy. T2 = follow-up time point, approximately 6 months after implementation of the extended visiting policy.

  Baseline (T0) assessed once before implementation of the extended visiting policy.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• factors that may influence the ICU staff 's experience of family presence during care

  T1: implementation period: assessed during a 2-week data collection period during the early implementation period of the extended visiting policy

Study Arms (1)

questionnaire on attitudes and validation of family participation on ICU

OTHER

questionnaire

Other: questionnaire

Interventions

questionnaire OTHER

the study focusses specifically on staff attitudes, experiences and adaptation over time, and on factors that may influence whether family presence is experienced as supportive or demanding.

questionnaire on attitudes and validation of family participation on ICU

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• healthcare professionals working in the adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• direct involvement in patient care

You may not qualify if:

• healthcare professionals in training
• healthcare professionals working in pediatric intensive care members of the research team

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel: lead

Study Sites (1)

Universitair Ziekenhuis

Brussels, 1090, Belgium

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Ning J, Cope V. Open visiting in adult intensive care units - A structured literature review. Intensive Crit Care Nurs. 2020 Feb;56:102763. doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2019.102763. Epub 2019 Oct 23.

  PMID: 31668437 BACKGROUND

• Duque PA, Quintero Duque S. Open-Door ICU Model and Humanized Care: A Systematic Review. Nurs Rep. 2025 Nov 18;15(11):406. doi: 10.3390/nursrep15110406.

  PMID: 41295830 BACKGROUND

• de la Cueva-Ariza L, Delgado-Hito P, Lluch-Canut MT, Momblan MAM, Benito-Aracil L, Via-Clavero G, Cabellos CC, Romero-Garcia M. Improving Family-Centred Care in Intensive Care Units: Participatory Action Research to Design and Implement Changes in Nursing Care. Nurs Crit Care. 2026 May;31(3):e70512. doi: 10.1111/nicc.70512.

  PMID: 42132067 BACKGROUND

• Chen K, Zhang C, Wu Y, Yue W, Zhang X, Han L, Zhang Z. Attitudes of healthcare providers and patients/families toward a family-centered visitation and care program: a qualitative study. Front Med (Lausanne). 2026 Apr 2;12:1655210. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1655210. eCollection 2025.

  PMID: 42007199 BACKGROUND

• Candal RE, Kalakoti P, Briones B, Sugar JG, Lairmore TC, White RK, Samra NS. Healthcare Provider's Preferences on Open Versus Restricted Visiting Hours in Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Cureus. 2024 Sep 21;16(9):e69871. doi: 10.7759/cureus.69871. eCollection 2024 Sep.

  PMID: 39435240 BACKGROUND

• Berti D, Ferdinande P, Moons P. Beliefs and attitudes of intensive care nurses toward visits and open visiting policy. Intensive Care Med. 2007 Jun;33(6):1060-5. doi: 10.1007/s00134-007-0599-x. Epub 2007 Mar 24.

  PMID: 17384930 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Surveys and Questionnaires

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Data Collection; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Public Health; Environment and Public Health

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: prospective pre/ post study with repeated measures

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 5, 2026
• First Posted: October 21, 2026
• Study Start: September 29, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2027
• Last Updated: October 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: 01/2028
• Access Criteria: a formal request needs to be sent by mail to the PI + juridischedienst@uzbrussel.be The legal department of UZ Brussel needs to be involved in drafting the Data Sharing Agreement. Additionally, specifications on the data granularity, timing of sharing, restricted availability, proposed transfer-medium, will be defined upfront.

Locations

BE (1)