Effect of intensive care unit diary on quality of life of intensive care unit survivors and their relatives: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Donghui Hu, Xiaoli Ji, Yaxin Li and 2 others
PMID 37255447WHAT IT FOUND
ICU diaries improved survivors' overall quality of life, with moderate effect.
Benefits were seen in global health and social function, but not for relatives. The evidence is limited by high variability between studies and small sample sizes.
Key findings
01ICU diaries significantly improved overall quality of life for survivors, with a moderate effect size.
02Improvements were found in specific domains like global health and social function, but not all domains showed benefit.
03There was no statistically significant improvement in quality of life for relatives of ICU survivors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
High heterogeneity between the included studies. Small number of studies and participants. Only studies in Chinese or English were included. Many studies had patients or relatives who refused the diary or follow-up visits. Blinding of patients and outcome assessors was rarely described.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest, and the research received no specific grant from funding agencies.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume ICU diaries improve quality of life for relatives or all domains of a patient's life. The benefit for relatives was not statistically significant, and some patients may experience psychological harm or reluctance to engage with the diary.