Developing and evaluating critical care follow-up (original) (raw)
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Critical Care Follow-up Clinics
Clinical Nurse Specialist, 2016
Objective-The purpose of this scoping review was to identify evidence describing benefits of interventions provided in ICU-survivor follow-up clinics. Background-Advances in intensive care unit (ICU) treatments have increased the number of survivors who require specialized care for ICU-related sequelae. ICU survivor follow-up clinics exist yet little is known about the nature and impact of interventions provided in such clinics. A scoping review of publications about in-person post-ICU follow-up care was undertaken. Method-Ten databases were searched yielding one-hundred eleven relevant unique publication titles and abstracts. Sample heterogeneity supported using a scoping review method. After excluding non-related publications, 33 reports were fully reviewed. Twenty international publications were included that described ICU follow-up clinic interventions and/or outcomes. Results-Authors discussed very diverse interventions in 15 publications, and 9 reported some level of intervention effectiveness. Evidence was strongest that supported the use of prospective diaries as an intervention to prevent or improve psychological symptoms whereas evidence to support implementation of other interventions was weak. Correspondence to: Sue Lasiter. All authors had substantial contributions to the conception, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data. All authors were actively involved in writing important intellectual content and revising it critically for final approval of the version to be published. Authors are in agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work could be appropriately investigated and resolved.
A national survey of intensive care follow-up clinics
Anaesthesia, 2006
Intensive care follow-up clinics allow extended review of survivors of critical illness. However, the current provision of intensive care follow-up clinics in the UK is unknown. We performed a survey of intensive care follow-up clinic practice in the UK. A questionnaire was sent to 298 intensive care units in the UK to determine the number of follow-up clinics and details of current follow-up practice. Responses were received from 266 intensive care units, an 89% response rate. Eighty units (30%) ran a follow-up clinic. Only 47 (59%) of these clinics were funded. Of those intensive care units without a follow-up clinic, 158 (88%) cited 'financial constraints' as the reason.
After critical care: a study to explore patients’ experiences of a follow-up service
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2007
After critical care: a study to explore patients' experiences of a follow-up service Aims and objectives. To establish patients' experiences after discharge from critical care and to evaluate implementation of a follow-up service. Background. Government recommendations advise critical care follow-up to prevent readmission and address problems after discharge. Admission to critical care results in significant psychological and physiological sequelae. Design. A prospective, longitudinal and exploratory study of surgical cancer patients requiring >48 hours in critical care. Qualitative interviews were conducted and short questionnaires were used. Methods. Patient Expert Advisory Groups were invited to participate in research design. Patients were visited in the ward at days 1 and 5 after discharge, invited to nurse-led follow-up clinic and interviewed at three and six months. Short questionnaires were administered at six and 12 months. Findings. Twenty-seven patients participated in the study. All patients experienced benefit from the service. Emergent themes included: rehabilitation from critical care: physiological issues and needs, memories: real and unreal, uncertainty and fear and empathy. A core theme of reassurance was underlying through the research. Issues while in critical care included: the need for nursing presence, nightmares, delusions, confusion, fear of ward transfer, inability to remember, disorientation and being prepared for the experience. After discharge, issues shifted to longer term needs. Psychological support, in the form of the follow-up clinic, proved useful. The ability to move on with life after discharge varied and uncertainty about the future and their cancer had an impact upon this. Recovery
Challenges and possible solutions for long-term follow-up of patients surviving critical illness
Australian Critical Care, 2011
Introduction: Surviving critical illness can be life-changing and present new healthcare challenges for patients after discharge from hospital. Optimisation of recovery, rather than mere survival, is an important goal of intensive care. Observational studies have identified decreased quality of life and increased healthcare needs for survivors but loss to follow-up can be high with possible selection bias. Patients in need of support may therefore not be included in study results or allocated appropriate follow up support. Aim: To examine the frequency and reasons patients admitted to general ICUs who survive critical illness are excluded from study participation or lost to follow-up and consider the possible implications and solutions. Method: The literature review included searches of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases. Studies (2006-2010) were included if they described follow-up of survivors from general ICUs. Results: Ten studies were reviewed. Of the 3269 eligible patients, 14% died after hospital discharge, 27% declined, and 22% were lost to follow-up. Reasons for loss to follow-up included no response, inability to contact the patient, too ill or admitted to another facility.
Implementation of a Follow-Up Program for Intensive Care Unit Survivors
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
In Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survivors, critical illness has an impact on an individual’s long-term health status and quality of life. Adults who have recovered from intensive care management could develop muscle weakness, neurocognitive impairment, difficulties in managing activities of daily living and to returning to work, and psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. A prospective, observational study was designed. Data were collected from January to December 2018 from a structured follow-up program, at 3 time points after ICU discharge: at seven days, a visit in the general ward, a phone interview at three months and an ambulatory visit at six months. A total of 95 patients were enrolled, 36% female, with a median age of 65 (55–73) years and a median ICU length of stay of 13 (8–20) days. At the seven days follow-up, patients who had a positive Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale showed a significantly longer time of intubation (p = 0.048) and length of ICU stay (...
BMC Health Services Research, 2007
Background: A number of intensive care (ICU) patients experience significant problems with physical, psychological, and social functioning for some time after discharge from ICU. These problems have implications not just for patients, but impose a continuing financial burden for the National Health Service. To support recovery, a number of hospitals across the UK have developed Intensive Care follow-up clinics. However, there is a lack of evidence base to support these, and this study aims to test the hypothesis that intensive care follow up programmes are effective and cost-effective at improving physical and psychological quality of life in the year after intensive care discharge. Methods/Design: This is a multi-centre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. Patients (n = 270) will be recruited prior to hospital discharge from three intensive care units in the UK, and randomised to one of two groups. The control group will receive standard in-hospital follow-up and the intervention group will participate in an ICU follow-up programme with clinic appointments 2-3 and 9 months after ICU discharge. The primary outcome measure is Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) 12 months after ICU discharge as measured by the Short Form-36. Secondary measures include: HRQoL at six months; Quality-adjusted life years using EQ-5D; posttraumatic psychopathology as measured by Davidson Trauma Scale; and anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at both six and twelve months after ICU discharge. Contacts with health services in the twelve months after ICU discharge will be measured as part of the economic analysis. Discussion: The provision of intensive care follow-up clinics within the UK has developed in an ad hoc manner, is inconsistent in both the number of hospitals offering such a service or in the type of service offered. This study provides the opportunity to evaluate such services both in terms of patient benefit and cost-effectiveness. The results of this study therefore will inform clinical practice and policy with regard to the appropriate development of such services aimed at improving outcomes after intensive care.
What patients think about ICU follow-up services: a qualitative study
UK policy recommendations advocate the use of intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up services to help detect and treat patients' physical and emotional problems after hospital discharge and as a means of service evaluation. This study explores patients' perceptions and experiences of these services.
Danish medical journal, 2015
International literature describes that former intensive care unit (ICU) patients suffer considerable physical and neuropsychological complications. Systematic data on Danish ICU survivors are scarce as standardised follow-up after intensive care has yet to be described. This article describes and evaluates the knowledge gained from outpatient follow-up at a tertiary intensive care unit at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, during a three-year period. A total of 101 adult former ICU patients attended the outpatient clinic over a three-year period. Patients included were medical and surgical patients with a length of stay exceeding four days. Patients attended the clinic after discharge from hospital and for a minimum of two months from their discharge from the ICU. The patients were assessed for physical, neuropsychological and psychological problems and, if necessary, further treatment or rehabilitation was initiated. Reduced physical ability was seen in 82%. A total of 89% suffered a sub...
Critical care nurses’ experiences of follow-up visits to an ICU
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2010
The aim of this study was to describe critical care nurses' experiences of follow-up visits for formerly critically ill people discharged from an intensive care unit and their close relatives. Background. The critical illness experience affects the ill person and their close relatives not only during the stay in an intensive care unit, but also for a long time afterwards. Follow-up visits were introduced to offer people the opportunity to talk about their experiences. This activity has not been studied earlier from the perspective of critical care nurses. Design. The design of this study was qualitative. Method. Eight critical care nurses narrated their experiences of follow-up visits by formerly critically ill people and their close relatives to an intensive care unit. Data were collected during 2007-2008. Qualitative thematic content analysis was applied to the interview texts. Results. The findings show that to feel they were doing a good job it was vital for the critical care nurses to be well prepared for the follow-up visits. It was difficult, in a positive way, to recognise formerly critically ill people when they returned looking healthy. The critical care nurses were disappointed that their former patients remembered so few real events. The follow-up visits gave the critical care nurses a new picture of how the critically illness experience influenced the former patient's everyday life during and after their stay in the intensive care unit and how it affected the lives of their close relatives. Conclusions. Through sharing the experiences of formerly critically ill peoples' and their close relatives' critical care nurses receive valuable feedback about their work. Relevance to clinical practice. Receiving feedback about one's work from follow-up visits gives critical care nurses the possibility for to evaluate given care. Follow-up visits to intensive care units can provide them with valuable knowledge that might lead to improved nursing care.
BMJ: British Medical …, 2009
Objectives To test the hypothesis that nurse led follow-up programmes are effective and cost effective in improving quality of life after discharge from intensive care.Design A pragmatic, non-blinded, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.Setting Three UK hospitals (two teaching hospitals and one district general hospital).Participants 286 patients aged ≥18 years were recruited after discharge from intensive care between September 2006 and October 2007.Intervention Nurse led intensive care follow-up programmes versus standard care. Main outcome measure(s) Health related quality of life (measured with the SF-36 questionnaire) at 12 months after randomisation. A cost effectiveness analysis was also performed.Results 286 patients were recruited and 192 completed one year follow-up. At 12 months, there was no evidence of a difference in the SF-36 physical component score (mean 42.0 (SD 10.6) v 40.8 (SD 11.9), effect size 1.1 (95% CI −1.9 to 4.2), P=0.46) or the SF-36 mental component score (effect size 0.4 (−3.0 to 3.7), P=0.83). There were no statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes or subgroup analyses. Follow-up programmes were significantly more costly than standard care and are unlikely to be considered cost effective.Conclusions A nurse led intensive care follow-up programme showed no evidence of being effective or cost effective in improving patients’ quality of life in the year after discharge from intensive care. Further work should focus on the roles of early physical rehabilitation, delirium, cognitive dysfunction, and relatives in recovery from critical illness. Intensive care units should review their follow-up programmes in light of these results.Trial registration ISRCTN 24294750