Abstract:

Objective To explore the characteristics of caring behaviors of medical staff in ICU visiting，aiming to provide references for promoting the development of humanistic care practice in ICU. Methods A systematical research was conducted across domestic and foreign databases from the establishment of databases to October 10，2025. Directed content analysis was applied to summarize the characteristics of medical staff’s caring behaviors during ICU visiting. Results A total of 31 studies were finally included，consisting of 18 randomized controlled trials（RCTs），3 systematic reviews，3 standards or guidelines，4 consensuses，and 3 evidence summaries. The caring behaviors of medical staff in ICU visiting were categorized into 5 themes and 18 subcategories，including understanding individual needs，providing emotional companionship，offering practical assistance，enabling family capabilities，and facilitating strategies for care implementation. Among the themes，enabling family capabilities was recorded with the highest frequency（31 times），while providing emotional companionship had the lowest frequency（15 times）. Conclusion The care practice of medical staff during ICU visiting consists of a series of behaviors that can be learned and practiced. With organizational support，medical staff should uphold positive beliefs and further conduct ICU visitation practices centering on the core caring practices，including understanding patients’ needs，providing effective companionship，offering practical assistance and empowering family members，so as to continuously advance the development of humanistic care practices in the ICU.

Key words: Intensive Care Units, Medical Staff, Visiting, Humanistic Care, Content Analysis Method