MSc (Nursing), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / The purpose of this study was to elicit and compare nurses’ and families’ perception of family needs in intensive care unit. A quantitative non-experimental, comparative and descriptive research design was used to achieve research objectives. Participants (nurses, n= 65; family members, n= 61) were drawn from three intensive care units. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed from the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Majority (more than 50%) of both groups agreed with 42 out of 45 family need statements. All the nurses (100%, n=65) agreed with the need ‘to have explanations that are understandable’ while most family members (98%, n=58) agreed with the need ‘to feel that health care professionals care about the patient’. Seven out of ten statements agreed by majority of both groups were similar. Most of these statements were related to assurance and information need categories. In addition, both groups scored high on the two categories, assurance and information. However, family members scored higher than nurses in two categories, assurance and proximity with statistically significant difference (p-value < 0.05). Based on the research findings, it can therefore be concluded that generally there were similarities between nurses’ and families’ perception of family needs. These findings support evidence in literature resulting from previous studies.