INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI)
ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XII Issue VIII August 2025
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Enhancing Emotional Support in Critical Care Through Digital
Family Interaction
Jovy Rei Manalili, RN
University of Perpetual Help System – DALTA, Las Piñas City, Philippines
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.120800170
Received: 11 Aug 2025; Accepted: 18 Aug 2025; Published: 17 September 2025
ABSTRACT
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients often experience heightened emotional distress due to isolation and
restricted family access, making digital family interaction a promising solution to bridge these emotional gaps.
This study examined the perceived impact of digital family interaction on emotional support in ICU settings
from the perspectives of patients, families, healthcare providers, and administrators. Employing a descriptive-
quantitative correlational design, the research was conducted in selected hospitals in Tarlac City, involving 30
ICU patients, 30 family members, 20 healthcare staff, and 10 administrators selected through purposive
sampling. Data were collected using validated questionnaires and analyzed through descriptive statistics and
Pearson correlation at a significance level of p < 0.05. Findings revealed unanimous agreement among patients
and families that digital interaction reduced anxiety, loneliness, and fear while enhancing motivation and
connectedness (mean = 5.00). Healthcare providers (mean = 4.88) and administrators (mean = 4.95) strongly
affirmed its benefits. While patient demographics showed no significant association with perceived emotional
benefit, staff position (p = 0.035), years of experience (p = 0.029), and administrators’ leadership roles (p =
0.015) were significantly correlated with perceptions. The study concludes that digital family interaction is
universally beneficial in ICU care and recommends its institutionalization through structured protocols and
leadership-driven policies.
Keywords: ICU, digital family interaction, emotional support, telehealth, virtual visitation.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a specialized healthcare environment designed for patients with life-
threatening conditions requiring continuous monitoring and advanced medical interventions. While the ICU’s
technological capacity is indispensable for sustaining life, its environment often contributes to emotional
distress among patients and their families. Factors such as the severity of illness, unfamiliar surroundings, and
restricted visitation policies can exacerbate anxiety, fear, and feelings of isolation (Aydın Er, 2024).
Family presence has long been recognized as a critical element of patient-centered care, contributing to
improved emotional well-being, enhanced satisfaction, and better recovery outcomes (Rose et al., 2021).
However, infection control measures and institutional protocols—particularly during the COVID-19
pandemic—imposed strict visitation restrictions, limiting the physical presence of family members and
disrupting traditional modes of emotional support (Xyrichis et al., 2022). This unprecedented separation
underscored the need for alternative means of communication to maintain patient-family connections in critical
care settings.
Digital family interaction, facilitated through telehealth technologies such as video conferencing, instant
messaging, and virtual presence platforms, has emerged as a viable solution to bridge these gaps. Evidence
suggests that virtual visitation can help reduce psychological distress, maintain family closeness, and enhance
patient morale, even in high-acuity environments (Kebapcı & Türkmen, 2022). Additionally, healthcare
providers report that such interventions improve care coordination, reduce family anxiety, and foster a sense of
trust in the care process (Alenezi et al., 2021).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI)
ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XII Issue VIII August 2025
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The integration of digital communication in ICUs aligns with global trends in telehealth adoption. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals rapidly implemented virtual visiting programs to ensure continued
emotional and informational exchange between patients and their families (Brigham et al., 2022). Studies have
shown that these initiatives not only support patients’ psychological needs but also positively impact
healthcare providers by reducing their emotional burden and facilitating family involvement in care decisions
(Conte et al., 2023).
In the Philippine context, the adoption of digital health interventions in critical care has been uneven, hindered
by technological limitations, resource constraints, and the absence of standardized protocols. While some
institutions have embraced virtual family interaction during crises, its sustained integration into ICU practice
remains limited. Understanding the perceptions and experiences of ICU patients, their families, healthcare
staff, and hospital administrators is essential to designing effective, culturally sensitive, and sustainable digital
communication strategies.
This study aims to examine the perceived impact of digital family interaction on emotional support in ICU
settings, exploring its benefits, challenges, and potential for institutionalization. By identifying relationships
between participant profiles and perceptions of digital family interaction, the research seeks to inform the
development of structured protocols and policies that can enhance emotional care in critical care environments.
METHODOLOGY
This study employed a descriptive-quantitative correlational design to examine the relationship between digital
family interaction and emotional support in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) settings. The descriptive approach was
used to capture the current perceptions, experiences, and practices of ICU patients, their families, healthcare
providers, and hospital administrators, while the correlational component allowed the identification of
significant associations between participant profiles and their perceived emotional benefits of virtual family
interaction (Creswell & Creswell, 2018; Polit & Beck, 2021).
The research was conducted in selected public and private hospitals in Tarlac City, Philippines, chosen for
their operational capacity to support virtual communication systems such as video conferencing, messaging
platforms, and other telehealth tools. Participants were drawn from four key groups: thirty ICU patients who
had engaged in virtual family interaction during their stay, thirty family members who had participated in these
interactions, twenty ICU healthcare staff (including nurses, physicians, and allied health personnel), and ten
hospital administrators involved in policy-making for virtual care. Using purposive sampling, participants were
selected based on their direct experience with digital family interaction, a method particularly effective in
obtaining information-rich cases in healthcare research (Etikan et al., 2016).
Data were collected using a structured questionnaire designed by the researcher, informed by existing literature
on telehealth, patient satisfaction, and emotional support in critical care (Kebapcı & Türkmen, 2022; Rose et
al., 2021). The instrument consisted of sections on demographic and professional profiles, patterns of virtual
communication, perceived emotional outcomes, and—specifically for staff and administrators—perceptions of
implementation and policy integration. The questionnaire underwent content validation by a panel of experts in
nursing, telehealth, and psychology, and Cronbach’s alpha confirmed internal consistency above the
acceptable threshold of 0.70, indicating strong reliability (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011).
Ethical clearance was secured from the respective institutional review boards, and informed consent was
obtained from all participants in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association,
2013). Surveys were administered either face-to-face or electronically, depending on hospital protocols, over a
two-month data collection period. Descriptive statistics—frequency, percentage, and weighted mean—were
used to summarize respondent characteristics and perceptions, while Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation
Coefficient tested the relationships between profile variables and perceived emotional benefits of digital family
interaction. Statistical analyses were conducted at a significance level of α = 0.05, with p-values less than 0.05
considered statistically significant. All data were anonymized, securely stored, and used solely for academic
purposes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION (IJRSI)
ISSN No. 2321-2705 | DOI: 10.51244/IJRSI |Volume XII Issue VIII August 2025
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The findings of this study revealed a strong and unanimous consensus among ICU patients and their families
on the positive emotional impact of digital family interaction. Across all assessed indicators, both groups
reported the highest possible mean score (M = 5.00), affirming that virtual communication substantially
reduced anxiety, loneliness, and fear while enhancing hope, motivation, and connectedness during critical
illness. This aligns with earlier work by Kebapcı and Türkmen (2022), who demonstrated that structured
virtual visits significantly lowered anxiety levels and increased satisfaction among ICU patients and their
relatives. Healthcare providers also strongly endorsed the value of digital interaction (overall M = 4.88), noting
improvements in patient morale, cooperation, and emotional stability, alongside reduced emotional burden for
staff—findings consistent with Conte et al. (2023), who reported that virtual visiting enhanced care delivery
and strengthened patient-family relationships in ICUs. Hospital administrators expressed equally strong
support (overall M = 4.95), emphasizing that digital communication aligns with institutional missions,
improves patient satisfaction, and enhances hospital reputation, mirroring Dhaliwal and Jha’s (2023) assertion
that leadership engagement is critical to sustaining digital health integration. Statistical analysis indicated no
significant association between patient demographic factors and perceived emotional benefit, suggesting that
the advantages of virtual family interaction transcend age, sex, and ICU length of stay, corroborating the
conclusion of Xyrichis et al. (2022) that virtual visiting benefits diverse patient populations equally. In
contrast, ICU staff position (p = 0.035) and years of experience (p = 0.029) were significantly correlated with
perceived emotional benefits, as was administrators’ leadership role (p = 0.015), reinforcing evidence from
Rose et al. (2021) that experience and strategic positioning enhance the effectiveness and appreciation of
digital family engagement.
This study concludes that digital family interaction is a universally beneficial and emotionally supportive
intervention in ICU care. It reduces psychological distress, fosters connectedness, and promotes patient and
family satisfaction, while also enhancing staff morale and aligning with institutional quality care objectives.
The findings confirm that demographic variables do not influence the emotional benefits experienced by
patients, highlighting the broad applicability of virtual family interaction in critical care contexts. However, the
more favorable perceptions among experienced staff and higher-level administrators underscore the
importance of leadership and professional competence in facilitating and sustaining such interventions.
To institutionalize these benefits, it is recommended that hospitals adopt structured protocols for digital family
interaction, incorporating scheduled virtual visits, standardized communication guidelines, and designated staff
facilitators to ensure equitable access and consistent delivery. Training programs for ICU staff should include
competencies in digital communication, emotional support strategies, and the operation of virtual platforms to
standardize care quality regardless of staff experience level. Investments in secure and reliable digital
infrastructure are critical to support seamless interactions while safeguarding patient privacy. Furthermore,
cross-departmental collaboration in policy development is essential to broaden engagement, ensure
sustainability, and embed virtual visiting as a standard practice in patient-centered critical care.
The study was limited to selected hospitals in Tarlac City that already had digital communication systems in
place, which may restrict the generalizability of findings to institutions with limited technological
infrastructure. Data collection relied on self-reported measures, which are subject to recall and social
desirability bias. Additionally, the focus was on short-term emotional outcomes during ICU admission, without
assessment of long-term psychological effects post-discharge. Future research should expand to include
diverse healthcare settings, longitudinal assessments, and qualitative exploration of patient, family, and staff
narratives to enrich the understanding of digital family interaction’s impact.
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