The evaluation of the quality of life in survivors of critical illness after discharge from Intensive Care Unit (ICU): A prospective cohort study

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionAdmission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) constitutes a substantial psychophysical burden for both patients and their relatives. Individuals who are critically ill and receive care in the ICU frequently exhibit numerous physical and mental issues stemming from the primary ailment, its complications, and subsequent treatments. This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) for ICU patients in the first and third month after ICU discharge and identify any issues arising from their ICU hospitalization.Material and methodsThis was a prospective cohort study. The study participants were adult medical or surgical patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in three public hospitals in the region of Attica in Greece, from August 2020 to December 2021. The short form (SF)-36 was used to measure QoL. Data collection was performed through telephone interviews during the first and third month after ICU discharge.ResultsThe study included 43 patients, 34 men and nine women. The mean age was 59.63±13.06 years. The average value of the two main categories in the 1st month was: Physical health: 53.72 ± 15.92, and Mental health: 69.03 ± 26.02, while in the 3rdmonth, it was 62.42 ± 20.45 and 72.81 ± 16.47, respectively. The duration of mechanical ventilation, high-flow oxygen therapy, and spontaneous breathing in days seemed to be correlated with the “Physical Functioning”, “Pain”, and “Limitation of the role due to Physical health” subscales of SF-36, respectively (p-value <0.05). The total length of hospitalization seemed to have a statistically significant negative correlation with “Physical Function” and “Physical Health” subscales (p-value<0.05).ConclusionsAn improvement in patients’ QoL was demonstrated three months after discharge from the ICU. Factors such as gender, cause of ICU admission, occurrence or non-occurrence of cardiac arrest, the performance of a tracheostomy, and type of ventilation support should always be considered when assessing the quality of life after ICU hospitalization.