ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of an educational website on satisfaction and symptoms
of anxiety and depression among family members of critically ill adult
patients.MethodsWe embedded an analysis of website access in a cohort study conducted in
intensive care units with flexible visiting hours in Brazil. Family members
were guided to access an educational website designed to help them
understand the processes and emotions associated with an intensive care unit
stay. Subjects were evaluated for baseline data within the first 48 hours
following enrollment and outcome assessment at up to 7 days after patient
discharge from the intensive care unit, death, or until the 30thday of the study. The main outcomes were satisfaction using the Critical
Care Family Needs Inventory and the presence of anxiety and depression
symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.ResultsA total of 532 family members were evaluated during the study period. Of
these, 61 (11.5%) accessed the website. After adjustments, family members
who accessed the website had significantly better mean Critical Care Family
Needs Inventory scores (152.8versus145.2, p = 0.01) and a
lower prevalence of probable clinical anxiety (prevalence ratio 0.35; 95%CI
0.14 - 0.89) than family members who did not access the website. There were
no differences regarding symptoms of depression.ConclusionAccess to an educational website was associated with higher family
satisfaction with care and a lower prevalence of clinical anxiety.