The effect of an ICU liaison nurse on patients and family's anxiety prior to transfer to the ward: an intervention study

Abstract

While an admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is stressful, the impending transfer from ICU to the ward can also result in anxiety for patients and their families. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of an ICU liaison nurse on anxiety experienced by patients and their families just prior to transfer to the ward. This block intervention study used a repeated before and after design, with the first control and intervention periods of 4 months, a wash-out period of 1 month, and then a second control and intervention period of 4 months duration. That is, after 4 months of control and another 4 months of intervention, the liaison nurse services were withdrawn and no data collection occurred for a month (wash-out) then a second set of 4-month blocks of control and intervention were undertaken. A standard transfer protocol was followed during the control periods whereas during the intervention periods, the liaison nurse prepared patients and their families for transfer to the ward. The State Trait Anxiety Form Y (State) was used to measure anxiety just prior to physical relocation to the ward. A total of 115 patients (62 control, 53 intervention) and 100 families (52 control, 48 intervention) were enrolled in the study. There was no difference in anxiety scores between the control and intervention groups in either patients or family groups. This study did not demonstrate a statistically significant beneficial effect of the liaison nurse in terms of pre-transfer anxiety, however it highlights several methodological issues that must be considered for future research including sample size estimates, timing and measurement of transfer anxiety and finally the intervention itself.