Documentation of Family Surrogate Traumatic Stress in the Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Analysis

Brooke E. Schroeder, Raquel Garcia, Julien Cobert, Deepshikha C. Ashana, School of Medicine, Duke University, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Anesthesia Service, San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University, Margolis Institute for Health Policy, Duke University

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®

Published online on December 11, 2025

Abstract

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Ahead of Print.
ObjectiveTraumatic stress among families of critically ill patients is common and associated with interpersonal conflict between families and intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians. This qualitative study aimed to characterize clinician documentation of ...