Introduction:

The study of family members coping with the healthcare process of critically ill patients is a social demand that needs to be addressed today.

Objective:

To validate the viability of a system of family interactive workshops in order to improve family coping of the healthcare process of the patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Hospital General Docente “Dr. Agostinho Neto” in Guantanamo.

Method:

An experimental study was carried out, in which the population was made out of the family members (the facilitators of the patient-family-doctor interaction) of intensive-care-unit-discharged patients, in the period from January to February, 2019 (N=95). A random sample was selected (n=25) and interviewed to find out how effective the interactive workshops were in the learning process of how to cope with the situation of having a critically ill family member, and how important the participation on this process was for the family. The contribution of a workshop system was validated using a pre-experimental study.

Results:

100% of the families expressed the need for preparation in workshops aimed to improve coping skills to face the treatment and healthcare of an ill family member. 60 % of families involved in the workshops system improved their coping abilities to carry on with the difficulties of the treatment of their ill family member.

Conclusion:

The family interactive workshops system creates favorable changes in the preparation of the families to cope with the treatment process of one of their members dealing with a critical illness.

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