Purpose: Caregivers of patients in the intensive care unit take on caregiving responsibilities that can cause tremendous stress. Encouraging caregivers to participate in patient care at the bedside may reduce caregiver stress and improve both patient and caregiver outcomes. Critical care nurses have few resources to involve caregivers in patient care. The purpose of this study is to inform our current understanding of the clinical and psychological variables that may influence caregivers’ active involvement in hands-on care that is appropriate for caregivers to perform in the intensive care unit (ICU). The results from this study will help us develop tools to teach caregivers how to perform hands-on care at the bedside in the intensive care unit.
