Document Type
DNP Project
Department
School of Nursing
Date of Degree
Spring 2026
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Primary Advisor
Cara Padovano
Keywords
Intensive Care Unit; Critically Ill Patients; Family Education; Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit; Quality Improvement
Abstract
Background: Family members of critically ill patients frequently experience significant psychological distress, often compounded by unclear communication and limited understanding of complex care processes in the intensive care unit (ICU). In the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), staff identified a gap in structured, procedure-specific education for families during the admission process following cardiac surgery.
Aims/Objectives: This quality improvement project aimed to develop and implement a one-page, procedure-specific family education tool for CVICU admissions. The goals were to integrate the materials into the admission workflow with staff education and to enhance HCAHPS communication scores during implementation.
Methods: This quality improvement project used a pre–post descriptive design in a 24-bed CVICU at a 923-bed Level I trauma center. One-page educational sheets for coronary artery bypass graft and valve surgeries were developed collaboratively and included in admission packets. Nurses reviewed materials with families once patients were stabilized. Patient identifiers were tracked and shared with the HCAHPS team. Communication-related HCAHPS scores (nurse communication, doctor communication, and staff worked well together) from the implementation period were compared descriptively to pre-implementation quarterly data.
Results: Over 13 weeks, 266 unique eligible patients were included; 41 HCAHPS surveys were returned (15%). Compared with pre-implementation data, physician communication for the project group (87%) exceeded the unit’s overall fourth-quarter score (86.7%). Staff teamwork scores for the project group (87.8%) were notably higher than the unit’s fourth-quarter score (79.4%). Nurse communication scores were lower in the project group (78%) compared to unit-level results.
Conclusions: This quality improvement project demonstrated that implementing a one-page, procedure-specific family education tool post–cardiac surgery is feasible and can enhance aspects of provider–family communication and teamwork. Despite limited survey responses and variable unit-level scores, results suggest that structured educational interventions may positively influence patient experience outcomes and warrant further evaluation with larger samples.
Implications: Structured, low-cost educational materials may support family-centered communication in the CVICU. Future policy includes implementing the informational sheets in the pre-operation clinic setting to familiarize the information earlier in the operative process.
Copyright Notice
©2026 Adriana Szaboova. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Szaboova, A. (2026). Educational Interventions to Improve Interpersonal Communication with ICU Family Members. , (). Retrieved from https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/son_dnp/203
Open Access
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