Aim. This study was conducted to evaluate the readiness of intensive care units of hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences for the implementation of family-centered care in 2017.

Background. Patients in the intensive care unit often are not able to participate in therapeutic decisions, therefore, involving families in decision-making process, implementation and treatment processes, and meeting the their needs improves treatment outcomes and increases patient and family satisfaction. Family-centered care is one of the means of providing care that recognizes and respects the vital role of the family.

Method. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which all of the intensive care units in the hospitals of Iran University of Medical Sciences were studied in terms of their preparedness for family-centered care. Proportionate stratified sampling method was used to recruit nurses, and the physicians were recruited based on convenience sampling. In order to investigate the structure and facilities, through a census of all specialized departments of hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, a checklist was filled out. Data were analyzed in SPSS software version 22 using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings. According to the results, 60.9% of nurses were opposed to implementing family-centered care and have a negative attitude, and 57.3% of physicians agreed to implement family-centered care. There was a statistically significant difference between the attitudes of nurses and doctors (p≤0.0001). Also, the overall scores obtained from hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences showed that the facilities and hospital structure were poor for implementing family-centered care. 

Conclusion. Differences in the attitudes of nurses and physicians about family-based care showed the need for clarifying the concept of family-centered care. The implementation of family-centered care requires structural changes and extensive equipment in accordance with the standards.