Abstract

Introduction: Families of patients admitted to COVIDIntensive Care Unit (ICU) could not communicate and stay close to their loved ones, becoming completely dependent on hospital staff for remote updates. Objectives: To describe the lived experiences of family members who have a COVID-19 patient admitted to a COVID-ICU. Methods: A phenomenological study has been conducted. The subjects were interviewed with an open questions to allow them full freedom of expression. The researchers involved in the analysis immersed themselves in the data, each independently, reading and re-reading the transcripts, in order to get a sense of the entire data set. Results: 14 first-degree family members were recruited; five main themes emerged: fear, detachment, life on standby, family-related loneliness in COVID-ICU, and unexpected event. Conclusion: Knowing the experience of families who have a relative in COVID-ICU is essential to recognize and reduce the risk of developing symptoms related to post-intensive care syndrome.