Family-focused care model in the Intensive Care Unit Permanently Implemented: Reports by Swiss Radio and Television (SRF)
The family-focused care model FICUS® has become reality: Hirslanden Clinic Zurich is the first hospital in Switzerland to sustainably integrate this innovative care model into their Intensive Care Unit (ICU) services. The model was developed and evaluated with the FICUS trial led by nursing scientist Prof. Dr. Rahel Naef. Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) recently dedicated two reports to this novel approach to care.
The FICUS® family-focused care model strengthens the engagement, commmunication with and support of family members in the intensive care unit: specially trained ICU family nurses care for families during and after their loved one’s stay in the ICU. The aim is to reduce their burden, improve communication with families, and enhance overall care quality.
The introduction of the model at Hirslanden Clinic Zurich has been met with great interest – also from the media: Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) produced two features on this new care approach, accompanying family nurse Stefanie Henkensmeier in her work.
The initial experiences at Hirslanden Clinic Zurich are positive: both families and the ICU team report added value through the new family nursing role. This is in line with the key findings of the FICUS study, which investigated the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of the intervention. Other hospitals in Switzerland have also expressed interest in adopting the model.
"The integration of FICUS® into routine ICU care is an important step towards the implementation of research-based innovations in practice," says principal investigator Prof. Dr. Rahel Naef.
Links to the SRF radio features (in German):"Wenn die Pflege auch für die Angehörigen der Patienten da ist", Regionaljournal Zürich Schaffhausen
"Was bringt Familienpflege im Spital?", SRF 4 News