Nurse‐Led Transfer Programme With Patient Relatives: Effect on Reducing Transfer Anxiety in Intensive Care Unit Patients

Background The transfer of patients from intensive care units (ICUs) to general wards often causes significant anxiety, negatively impacting recovery, well‐being and increasing the risk of readmission. Aim This study was aimed to evaluate the impact of ‘Nurse‐led Transfer Programme with Patient Relatives’ on anxiety and haemodynamic parameters in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery (CVS) who are being transferred from the ICU to a general ward. Study Design This monocentric, non‐randomised quasi‐experimental study was conducted on 150 patients hospitalised in CVS‐ICU. Before transfer, patients' anxiety levels were assessed using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI‐I) and vital signs were recorded. Then, the transferring with a patient relative intervention was implemented, and the patient was assessed by the nurse immediately before the transfer and 30–60 min after the transfer. Results Patients in the nurse‐led patient relatives transfer group showed significantly lower state anxiety scores immediately before (34.3 ± 5.3 vs. 61.3 ± 2.5) and after transfer (28.5 ± 2.4 vs. 33.4 ± 3.1) than in the control group ( p < 0.001). After controlling for baseline anxiety and ICU stay duration, the intervention had a significant effect on anxiety levels (Pillai's trace = 0.926; F = 1739.3; p < 0.001). Although vital signs also improved significantly within groups over time, between‐group differences were not clinically substantial. Conclusions The findings suggest that the Nurse‐led Transfer Programme with patient relatives effectively reduces patients' anxiety during and after transfer from ICU to the general ward, thereby supporting the provision of holistic care to both patients and their families. Relevance to Clinical Practice Involving relatives in ICU‐to‐ward transfers may ease patient anxiety and improve transitions. Nurse‐led programmes with family presence support holistic care and can be integrated into discharge protocols to enhance outcomes and continuity. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06979414