Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the needs of family members of critical patients with heart disease after operation, and to analyze the relationships among needs, anxiety and depression in the family members of critical patients with heart disease after operation. Methods: A total of 196 family members of critical patients with heart disease after operation were recruited by convenience sampling from the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in a tertiary hospital of Hunan province from January to December 2018. Each family member was asked to complete the General Status Questionnaire, Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Results: The most important need identified by the family members was the assurance of patient's condition (3.45±0.56), followed by information acquisition (3.32±0.57), being close to patients (3.20±0.57), supports from healthcare professionals (2.74±0.58), and their own comfortable feeling (2.59±0.73). "Ensuring the best treatment for patients" is on the top list, while "hoping the permission to cry out loudly sometimes" is on the bottom of the list. There are differences in needs of family members with different age, level of education, disease diagnosis, and family relationship. The supports of healthcare professionals, information acquisition, and assurance of patient's conditions were positively correlated with the anxiety and depression level of these family members. Conclusion: The most important need is assurance of patient's condition, and then the information acquisition and being close to the patients. This finding provides references for the health professionals to provide support and care to patients and their family members. Thus we can promote effective communication and build up good relationship between health professionals and patients. In the future, the anxiety and depression level of family members can be decreased by meeting their needs.

Key words: Cardiac Intensive Care Unit; family members' needs; critical patients; anxiety; depression