Faut-il faire participer les familles aux soins en réanimation ?

Patients' management in intensive care unit does not exclude the implication of relatives and the opportunity for them to participate to patients' care. Most of the patients claim for that and some of the families are also in favor. Health care providers are more conservative and worry about relatives not having adequate expertise to perform technical care and also about disorganization. Families taking care of their relatives in ICU are prone to improve their understanding and cooperation and to maintain a crucial link with the patient. There is no evidence that such a behavior may have deleterious consequences. A progressive and comprehensive approach, including families in nursing and feeding the patient and even into more technical care, is therefore possible and could be supported.