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THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT: WHAT EVERY FAMILY NEEDS TO KNOW
Steven R. Mohnssen. San Francisco, Calif: Robert D. Reed Publication; 2001. Softcover. 94 pages, $10.95.

Reviewed by Nancy L. Gilliland-Seymour RN, BSN, CCRN

The Intensive Care Unit is an exceptionally valuable reference book that lucidly puts into lay terms the nature and descriptions of most diseases and conditions requiring admissions to the intensive care unit. Small, lightweight and as easily wielded as a foreign-language translation manual, Dr Mohnssen’s work is a unique reference guide that explains to families and significant others of critically ill patients the entire experience in the intensive care unit.

A thorough glossary and index simplifies a great deal of the jargon used in the medical field, and follows the 11-section body that delves into such topics as nutrition, ventilators, and shock, as well as advance directives and all of the major body systems.

A particularly useful aspect of this book is the inclusion of additional available resources for family members and significant others who are interested in detailed research of a patient’s condition. This list of resources provides concerned visitors with concrete alternatives for access to further information, and consequently a diminished sense of helplessness that may arise when available information from staff is not all the visitor had hoped.

The section on organ and tissue donation is well written, although future revisions of this publication might do well to include 3 current donation options: tissue, non–heart-beating, and organ donation. Adding a description of ethical issues, as well as the rights of the patient, the family, and the significant others in seeking out the hospital’s ethics committee would likewise be useful.

Dr Mohnssen’s explanations of the major diseases, technology, equipment, monitors, and procedures were well organized and easy to understand. Indeed, this book would be a welcomed addition in any patient library, hospital gift shop, or critical care waiting room. The Intensive Care Unit is an excellent guide that provides additional education to empower our patient’s families and significant others to better cope with the major illness of a loved one.

Nancy L. Gilliland-Seymour is a clinical nurse consultant for Biosite, Inc, San Diego, Calif, and registry staff in critical care at Ingalls Hospital, Harvey, Ill.

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