Social structure and social behavior in an intensive care unit: Patient-family perspectives

This paper deals with how definitions of the situa tion emerge for cardiac patients and their families in the critical phase of illness. Data, which were collected through participant observation in a hospital intensive care unit, show that the structure of the situation can lead to discrepancies in the way that pa tients and significant others perceive and interpret the illness and therapy. Key vari ables include differential exposure and access to the care setting, including the care pro viders, role assignment, and an attenuated communication system. No mechanisms seem to be built into the situation to provide remediation for the immediate or long-term implications.