Family Caregiver Stress in Critical Care

In this story, I (the CNS) discuss the process of identifying and diagnosing family caregiver (FC) stress in critical care settings. This story is about a young man’s battle with a one night’s decision of ingesting large amounts of alcohol and drugs (fentanyl) and the consequences thereof. The environment of an intensive care unit makes it unique to heighten the experiences of FC stress amongst patients’ families and HCPs alike and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is one nurse’s story of diagnosing and treating caregiver stress.