O cotidiano de familiares de pacientes internados na uti: um estudo com as representações sociais The daily life of relatives of patients admitted in icu: a study with social representations La vida cotidiana de familiares de pacientes internados en la uci: un estudio con representaciones

Objective: identifying which social representations of family members of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) about the ICU and the hospitalization process and analyzing the implications of these for their everyday life. Method: this was a qualitative study based on the Theory of Social Representations. Results: the Statements of the relatives were synthesized in four themes: the perception of family members with respect to ICU; the family of the suffering of daily life; the "technological shock"; Religiosity: Hope of Salvation. Conclusion: through all the above was possible to observe the importance of looking for ways to understand and respond more humanized and warmly family lying in a hospital setting. Descriptors: Intensive care units, Caregivers, Nursing care.