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Background Aim Methods Findings Conclusion Being a family member to someone who suffers from a serious illness can change one's perspectives about life. A sudden and severe illness can result in a demanding journey that involves acute admission to hospital, intensive care, post‐care, and finally, returning home.To describe the experience of staying beside a next of kin throughout the healthcare journey, from the onset of illness at home, to the intensive care unit, post‐care, and returning home.The study employed a qualitative design, with data collected via semi‐structured interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. A purposive sampling was used to recruit participants (n = 14), who had experiences of staying beside a next of kin throughout the healthcare journey from the onset of illness to discharge from the hospital.Family members’ experiences were captured under the overarching theme Journey through an emotional turmoil and the themes Entering a new world, Continuing the journey towards something unknown, and Striving for the new normal at home. They described going through a non‐linear process, characterised by transitions or changes in several aspects. The transitions included shifts in the roles that the family members played, in the various environments they found themselves in, and in the progression of the patient's illness or injury.The study suggested that family members with a next of kin who experienced life‐threatening situations undergo challenging transitions. The informal caregiver role placed on family members of intensive care unit‐survivors significantly impacts their lives and the healthcare systems should prioritise providing high‐quality support to family members throughout the entire healthcare journey. Elevating the importance of nursing care within the healthcare system can contribute to delivering holistic care and facilitating transitions. Further research should focus on understanding the support that family members perceive as necessary to facilitate their transition and enhance their well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to provide a deeper understanding of the experience of intensive care staff regarding the reduction in the use of medical technology prior to patients' transfer from the ICU. Background: The goal of ICU transitional care, provided for intensive care patients before, during and after the transfer from the ICU to another care unit, is to ensure minimal disruption and optimal continuity of care for the patient. To smooth this transition, there is a need to prepare for a less technological environment and therefore also a need for a gradual reduction in the use of monitoring equipment. Method: Group interviews and individual interviews, together with participant observations, were conducted with ICU staff in two hospitals in Sweden. The data were analysed using classic grounded theory. Results: The main concern was the ICU staff's ambiguity regarding whether and how to reduce the use of medical technology devices. Insecurity about weaning patients from medical equipment combined with a lack of standardized routines made it difficult for staff to reduce the technical support. The core category describes how the ambiguity was solved primarily by ' prioritizing control'. However, this often caused the ICU staff to use advanced technology while the patients were in the ICU until the ward staff arrived, even if this should have been handled otherwise. Why and how the ICU staff used the strategy of ' prioritizing control' is further explained in the categories ' being affected by cultural/contextual aspects', 'searching for guidance and a shared understanding' and ' weighing advantages with more v s less technology'. Conclusion: It is important to consider ICU staff ambiguity concerning the reduction in technology and to establish strategies for a safe and structured transitional phase with step-down procedures in which technology and monitoring is gradually reduced prior to transfer from ICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]