NORTHBROOK, IL-- Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford’s CHEST Foundation Project (LPCH CHEST Project), part of the nationwide Critical Care Family Assistance Program (CCFAP), has significantly benefited families, patients, and team members in the ICU, according to a new study. As reported in the September issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), implementation of the CCFAP significantly increased family satisfaction with communication with ICU team members and care of their loved one; decreased family stress; decreased patient anxiety; and increased staff communication and collaboration across hospital departments. 
 
Developed by The CHEST Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the ACCP, the CCFAP aims to improve family satisfaction with ICU communication and care by utilizing a multidisciplinary team of professionals who are dedicated to fostering an ICU environment where families feel well informed, comfortable, and safe. LPCH is one of eight CCFAP sites across the United States.
 
The LPCH CHEST Project creates new avenues for parent participation in patient care, including having parents participating on medical rounds; developing a daily goal sheet; and increasing the number of family care conferences.  The project also provides information for families that will help them navigate the ICU through, including the creation of an ICU parent handbook and family information center, where video clips are shown that illustrate the parent role in the ICU.  Hospital staff has initiated an “ICU Family Advisory Council” to increase input from families regarding the development of ICU programs and policies.  The council has created a computer-based parent feedback system.
 
“Parents of children in a pediatric intensive care unit are critical to the care we give- they are involved in important medical decisions and should be considered an interal part of the health care team.  Consequently, we need to create opportunities for parents to access relevant medical information so they can participate in their child’s care in meaningful ways,” said Lorry Frankel, MD, chief of pediatric critical care  and project director, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford, CA.  “The LPCH CHEST Project will offer an opportunity to develop a framework upon which to build new and innovative services in our ICU.”
 
According to the recent CCFAP study, implementation of the program resulted in significant increases in the areas of family satisfaction related to care and treatment of their loved one; family perception of safe hospital environment; improved comprehension of information provided to families; and decreased patient anxiety. The most profound impact was the degree to which families felt they were involved in the decision-making process. In addition, results showed significant decreases in family members’ stress/anxiety level when they received CCFAP information or services. The study also showed that there were significant increases in staff identification and referrals of families in need of services; staff perception of positive change in family satisfaction of communication, care, and treatment; collaboration among ICU team members and hospital departments; and the ability of the hospital to respond to family needs.
 
“Research shows that families are not entirely satisfied with their treatment within an ICU while a family member is under care, which can cause unnecessary stress and anxiety for both the family and patient. Yet, it is clear that addressing family needs in the ICU contributes to families’ overall satisfaction with ICU care,” said coauthor of the study D. Robert McCaffree, MD, Master FCCP, President of The CHEST Foundation. “The Critical Care Family Assistance Program is the first replicable nationwide ICU program structured with the needs of both the patient and family in mind.”
 
About CHEST, the ACCP, and The CHEST Foundation
CHEST is a peer-reviewed journal published by the ACCP. It is available online each month at www.chestjournal.org.  The ACCP represents 16,500 members who provide clinical respiratory, sleep, critical care, and cardiothoracic patient care in the United States and throughout the world. The ACCP’s mission is to promote the prevention and treatment of diseases of the chest through leadership, education, research, and communication. The CHEST Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the ACCP, whose focus is to assist ACCP members in improving the health and lives of their patients by providing educational resources in the areas of critical care, pro bono service and clinical research, and tobacco prevention. For more information about the ACCP, please visit the ACCP Web site at www.chestnet.org. For more information about The CHEST Foundation and the Critical Care Family Assistance Program, please visit the Foundation Web site at www.chestfoundation.org.
 
About Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
Ranked as one of the nation’s top ten pediatric hospitals by U.S.News and World Report, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford is a 264-bed hospital devoted to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric and obstetric medical and surgical services and associated with Stanford School of Medicine, Packard Children’s offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health-care programs and services – from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury. For more information, visit http://www.lpch.org.