Introduction:
A disease of a loved one constitutes a serious disturbance in the functioning of many families. Meeting expectations of patients’ families is seen as an element conditioning the level of satisfaction from the care provided in hospital.

Aim:
The aim of this study was to investigate the expectations of families of people hospitalized in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs).

Material and methods:
The study was carried out in ICUs in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship. The study was performed by diagnostic survey using the questionnaire technique. In total 104 people were surveyed.

Results and Discussion:
The highest ranking expectation of the patient’s loved ones was that of trust towards the staff diagnosing and treating the patient as well as the staff nursing them. Then there came: the feeling of ensuring the best care possible for the patient, obtaining information about the patient’s health, education on the way the unit functions, staying at the patient’s bedisde in the ICU. Lower in the ranking were the importance of having access to the family zone amenities, the opportunity of sharing their problems with others or receiving psychological and pastoral care.

Conclusions:
The most important need of visitors to the ICU is to obtain assurance that the patient is provided the best care possible. As the second most important need, the respondents mentioned the need to be close to the patient and easiness of obtaining information about their health condition provided by the doctor.