Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The Intensive Care Unit diary — A significant complement in the recovery after intensive care. A focus group study

Eklind, Sara ; Olby, Karin and Åkerman, Eva LU orcid (2023) In Intensive and Critical Care Nursing 74.
Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain an increased understanding of the intensive care unit diary and how it affects patients’ recovery after intensive care. Methodology/design: The study had a qualitative design and was conducted by two focus group interviews in October 2021 and was analysed with thematic analysis. Setting: Ventilator treated intensive care patients with a length of stay ≥ 72 hours who had received a written diary were included. The study was conducted at two university hospitals in the south of Sweden. Findings: The intensive care unit diary can be an important complement to the medical record and notes taken by family members by enhancing understanding of critical illness. The patients experience several... (More)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain an increased understanding of the intensive care unit diary and how it affects patients’ recovery after intensive care. Methodology/design: The study had a qualitative design and was conducted by two focus group interviews in October 2021 and was analysed with thematic analysis. Setting: Ventilator treated intensive care patients with a length of stay ≥ 72 hours who had received a written diary were included. The study was conducted at two university hospitals in the south of Sweden. Findings: The intensive care unit diary can be an important complement to the medical record and notes taken by family members by enhancing understanding of critical illness. The patients experience several prominent feelings from reading the diary such as guilt, fear, and anxiety as well as feelings of being cared for. The design and content of the diary can be important used as a tool in patients’ recovery after intensive care. Conclusion: Understanding their critical illness and the time in intensive care seems important to former intensive care patients. In this respect, the intensive care unit diary on its own does not provide significant information and thus need to be complemented by information from the medical record and notes taken by family members. Therefore, the diary can be used as a complement that might increase patients' sense of coherence and facilitate recovery after intensive care.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Diary, ICU diary, ICU follow-up, ICU survivors, Intensive Care Unit, Post Intensive Care Syndrome, Qualitative Research
in
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
volume
74
article number
103337
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85141259140
  • pmid:36333188
ISSN
0964-3397
DOI
10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103337
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
id
e2915032-01ed-42b2-9ffb-a3a45fa4eff6
date added to LUP
2026-08-12 14:43:58
date last changed
2026-09-23 17:20:29
@article{e2915032-01ed-42b2-9ffb-a3a45fa4eff6,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain an increased understanding of the intensive care unit diary and how it affects patients’ recovery after intensive care. Methodology/design: The study had a qualitative design and was conducted by two focus group interviews in October 2021 and was analysed with thematic analysis. Setting: Ventilator treated intensive care patients with a length of stay ≥ 72 hours who had received a written diary were included. The study was conducted at two university hospitals in the south of Sweden. Findings: The intensive care unit diary can be an important complement to the medical record and notes taken by family members by enhancing understanding of critical illness. The patients experience several prominent feelings from reading the diary such as guilt, fear, and anxiety as well as feelings of being cared for. The design and content of the diary can be important used as a tool in patients’ recovery after intensive care. Conclusion: Understanding their critical illness and the time in intensive care seems important to former intensive care patients. In this respect, the intensive care unit diary on its own does not provide significant information and thus need to be complemented by information from the medical record and notes taken by family members. Therefore, the diary can be used as a complement that might increase patients' sense of coherence and facilitate recovery after intensive care.</p>}},
  author       = {{Eklind, Sara and Olby, Karin and Åkerman, Eva}},
  issn         = {{0964-3397}},
  keywords     = {{Diary; ICU diary; ICU follow-up; ICU survivors; Intensive Care Unit; Post Intensive Care Syndrome; Qualitative Research}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Intensive and Critical Care Nursing}},
  title        = {{The Intensive Care Unit diary — A significant complement in the recovery after intensive care. A focus group study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103337}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103337}},
  volume       = {{74}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}