Families of patients often experience the Emergency Department (ED) as an intensely stressful setting [1]. Family members often experience anxiety, feel uncertain, and require clear information as well as adequate emotional support [[1], [2], [3]]. Understanding the needs of patients’ families in the ED is essential to improving the quality of care that is both patient and family centered [4].

The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) developed clinical practice guidelines on family presence during invasive procedures and resuscitation. These guidelines emphasize the importance of family involvement in patient-centered care and recommend the presence of healthcare professionals to accompany family members, provide information, offer emotional support, and facilitate communication with the medical team [5]. Family presence can reduce anxiety, improve understanding of the patient's condition, and strengthen trust in medical services [3]. Nurses play an essential role in supporting family involvement by providing structured support and engaging them in the decision making process [6].

Recent studies highlight that families in the ED frequently report unmet needs, particularly in terms of clear and timely communication [[7], [8], [9]], emotional support, opportunities to participate in care [8], and physical comfort [7,8]. Addressing these multidimensional needs is essential to reduce family anxiety and improve the safety, quality, and family centeredness of emergency care. This highlights the importance of developing and validating an Indonesian version of the CCFNI-ED through a rigorous process of cultural and linguistic adaptation.

This principle aligns with the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory – Emergency Department (CCFNI-ED), which identifies the primary needs of patients’ families in the emergency department [10]. These needs include accurate and timely information, emotional support, involvement in the care process, physical comfort, and assurance that the patient is receiving the best possible care [8,9]. Understanding and fulfilling family needs based on the CCFNI-ED guidelines enables healthcare providers to reduce family anxiety and deliver more comprehensive, patient and family centered care [11]. This instrument has been validated in several countries: Australia, Taiwan, Africa [10], and Turkey [12]. It has proven effective in identifying the key needs of patients’ families in emergency care settings [10]. However, an Indonesian version of the CCFNI-ED that is both culturally adapted and validated has not yet been available.

Instrument adaptation that considers cultural and linguistic differences is essential to ensure the accuracy and relevance of measurement outcomes across various contexts [13]. The process of cultural adaptation and psychometric validation aims to ensure that the translated instrument is not only linguistically appropriate but also possesses adequate validity and reliability in measuring the needs of patients’ families in emergency department settings [14,15].

This study aims to culturally adapt and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the CCFNI-ED, providing a robust tool to identify family needs in emergency departments and enhance the quality of patient and family-centered care.