Comfort and Care for Visitors to a Cancer ICU: a Proposal Based on Research Data

Abstract

This was a descriptive study with a qualitative design, aimed at minimizing the impact of the cancer ICU setting on patients' visitors through a proposal for implementing an environment of comfort and care for visitors. The proposal was presented for discussion and implementation at the Cancer Hospital (HCI) located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The proposal's theoretical reference was based on Florence Nightingale, Jean Watson, and Eloita Neves. The data were obtained through a semi-structured interview with 20 ICU visitors. Content analysis of the interviews showed that visitors feel comfortable because they have faith in a higher being and trust in the available resources for the patient's treatment, and because the hospital allows them to accompany the patient's condition. On the other hand, they feel uncomfortable because they can foresee the loss of a loved one with cancer and have countless expectations about the ICU, the visits, and the information they receive, besides undergoing numerous unpleasant sensations due to their own vulnerability vis-à-vis the patient's hospitalization. Therefore, in order to feel more at ease, visitors report the need to trust in God and in the care provided by the ICU, in addition to wanting a warm reception and to be able to communicate with both the ICU staff and the patient. Finally, the authors present a proposal for the creation of a caring environment in the ICU, based on nine premises originating from the study's findings.