Health concerns of intensive care survivors and research participation willingness: A multicentre survey

Objective

To describe the relative importance of health concerns reported by survivors of critical illness treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), their estimate of time to achieve recovery, and their reported randomised clinical trial participation willingness.

Design

A multicentre survey.

Setting

Six Australian ICUs.

Participants

Adult patients who had received mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support or renal replacement therapy for more than 24 h were likely to be discharged from ICU within 24 h.

Interventions

Survey administration was verbal and occurred in the ICU.

Main outcome measures

A numeric rating of eight ICU survivor-related health concerns developed with consumer input (disability requiring ongoing care, prolonged hospitalisation, repeated hospitalisation, impaired activity level, pain, low mood, inability to return home, and dying). Zero indicated no concern and ten extreme concern. Respondents were also asked to estimate their expected recovery time and their willingness to participate in a randomised clinical trial.

Results

Of 584 eligible participants, 286 (49.0%) respondents had a mean age of 62.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 14.8) and 178 (62.2%) were male. The median ICU length of stay at the time of survey was 4 days (interquartile range (IQR) 3–7). Respondents reported high levels of concern for all health outcomes with the highest median scores being for survival with severe disability and requirement for ongoing care scoring 8 (IQR 3–10), and never being able to return home needing assisted living or a nursing home scoring 8 (IQR 1–10). The median expected recovery time was 23 days (IQR 10–33). Higher concerns were associated with an increased likelihood of trial participation willingness.

Conclusion

Survivors reported high and varied health concerns of which severe disability requiring care and inability to return home were the highest. Respondents anticipated a relatively short recovery.