Chinese Journal of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing >
Latent types and influencing factors of communication barriers between ICU nurses and patients’ families
Received date: 2025-07-19
Online published: 2026-02-02
Objective To identify latent types and determinants of nurse-family communication barriers in ICUs and inform targeted intervention design. Methods In June 2025，twenty nurses from a comprehensive ICU of a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou were enrolled. Using Q-methodology，we constructed the Q-set，selected the P-sample，conducted Q-sorting，and performed Q-analysis to rank and classify barriers and influencing factors. Results Seventeen nurses were included in the final analysis. Four factors were extracted，explaining 82% of the total variance，including institutional constraints（eigenvalue 9.11； 46% variance），emotional exhaustion（3.82； 19%），support deficiency（1.74； 9%），and skill dilemma（1.58； 8%）. Conclusion ICU nurses show distinct patterns of communication barriers and determinants. High workload，psychological strain，burnout，limited communication skills，and inadequate emotional support contribute to communication difficulties. Tailored strategies addressing these factors are needed to improve nurse-family communication and family satisfaction.
Key words： Q Method; ICU; Nurses; Family Members; Communication Barriers
LIANG Dalian , LI Cuilan , LI Haiyan , HUANG Yu . Latent types and influencing factors of communication barriers between ICU nurses and patients’ families[J]. Chinese Journal of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing, 2026 , 7(2) : 162 -167 . DOI: 10.3761/j.issn.2096-7446.2026.02.005
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