Patients' and Caregivers' Perceptions of Intensive Care Unit Hospitalization and Recovery.
Mariya A Kovaleva, Abigail C Jones, Christine Cleary Kimpel and 3 others
PMID 35773198WHAT IT FOUND
ICU survivors and caregivers described the ICU stay as traumatic and recovery as uneven.
Some received home health and physical therapy; most patients wanted more physical therapy, mental health attention, realistic expectations, and care coordination.
Key findings
01Patients described ICU hospitalization as extremely traumatic and said they wanted psychological support.
02Some patients received home health and physical therapy after discharge; most endorsed physical therapy and wanted more, in person or online.
03Participants reported uneven information about post-ICU recovery and mixed experiences with primary care after discharge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a qualitative sub-analysis, not a test of whether ICU recovery clinic visits, physical therapy, or mental health attention improve recovery. Only 14 patients and 12 caregivers were interviewed, and all had completed at least one telehealth ICU recovery clinic visit, so people who did not attend or had different experiences may be missing. Telephone interviews did not allow non-verbal communication to be assessed. Participants may have concealed negative experiences because of social desirability bias. Recruitment included March 2020 onward, when isolation rules shaped ICU experiences, so findings may not apply outside pandemic conditions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as proof that telehealth ICU recovery clinic visits, more physical therapy, mental health attention, or recovery education improve outcomes. The study was a small qualitative sub-analysis of 14 patients and 12 caregivers and did not measure outcomes.