Effect of intensive care unit diary on quality of life of intensive care unit survivors and their relatives: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Aim To evaluate the current literature on the effect of ICU diaries on the quality of life of ICU survivors and their relatives. Design Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods We searched the online databases Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI and WanFang from inception to April 2021. Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) were used to assess the methodological quality. Results Seven studies were identified. ICU diaries improved the QoL of ICU survivors (SMD 0.79, 95% CI 0.24–1.34), and a small study described no benefit of diaries in improving the QoL of relatives. Conclusion This meta‐analysis revealed the use of ICU diaries to improve the QoL in survivors, but the ICU diaries do not have a beneficial effect on the QoL in relatives. The evidence summarized in our study is limited and biased, and more research should be carried out to verify it.

Quality of life in ICU survivors and their relatives with post‐intensive care syndrome: A systematic review

“…25 ICU diaries are essential non-pharmacological interventions written by nurses, therapists, or family members to record events about the period that critically ill patients usually cannot remember. 57 Our results showed that the PICS prevalence lies in an extensive range between 43% and 96%. The studies in our review included ICU survivors discharged from different types of ICUs with varying admissions to the ICU.…”

The Impact of an Intensive Care Diary on the Psychological Well-Being of Patients and Their Family Members: Longitudinal Study Protocol

“…It assists patients in processing traumatic events by exposing them to trauma memories [ 76 ]. By filling gaps in memory [ 77 ], the intensive care diary reduces the incidence of anxiety, depression [ 78 ], and post-traumatic stress disorder [ 19 ], thereby improving the quality of life of the survivors [ 48 ]. The importance of consistently assessing the perceived QoL in patients is a well-established concept in the healthcare literature.…”

“…Since the publication of what appears to be the first study about the use of diaries in intensive care [47] to date [48], the use of diaries has been implemented in Europe [49] and extended to other continents [50]. In settings where this tool is available, patients and families often request the diary from the beginning of the hospitalization period [38].…”

Post intensive care syndrome: A review of clinical symptoms, evaluation, intervention

“…They contain information about the patient's admission to the ICU, treatment process, changes in their condition, and visits by family members [ 101 ]. According to a meta-analysis, ICU diaries aid in the reproduction and reconstruction of patients' memories, promote a sense of well-being, alleviate psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and improve their quality of life [ 102 ]. However, a recent clinical study revealed that while ICU diaries significantly reduce depression and anxiety levels in ICU survivors, their effectiveness in reducing PTSD symptoms is relatively poor [ 103 ].…”