Patients’ experiences of recovery: Beyond the intensive care unit and into the community

Abstract

Aims To understand barriers and facilitators of recovery for critical illness survivors’, who are discharged home from the hospital and do not have access to dedicated outpatient care. Design Multi‐site descriptive study guided by interpretive phenomenology using semi‐structured interviews. Methods Interviews were conducted between December 2017 ‐July 2018. Eighteen participants were included. Data were collected from interview recordings, transcripts, field notes, and a retrospective chart review for sample demographics. Analysis was completed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis which provided a unique view of recovery through the survivors’ personal experiences and perception of those experiences. Results Participants encountered several barriers to their recovery; however, they were resilient and initiated ways to overcome these barriers and assist with their recovery. Facilitators of recovery experienced by survivors included seeking support from family and friends, lifestyle adaptations, and creative management of their multiple medical needs. Barriers included unmet needs experienced by survivors such as mental health issues, coordination of care, and spiritual needs. These unmet needs left participants feeling unsupported from healthcare providers during their recovery. Conclusion This study highlights important barriers and facilitators experienced by critical illness survivors during recovery that need be addressed by healthcare providers. New ways to support critical illness survivors, that can reach a broader population, must be developed and evaluated to support survivors during their recovery in the community. Impact This study addressed ICU survivors’ barriers and facilitators to recovery. Participants encountered several barriers to recovery at home, such as physical, cognitive, psychosocial, financial, and transportation barriers, however, these survivors were also resilient and resourceful in the development of strategies to try to manage their recovery at home. These results will help healthcare providers develop interventions to better support ICU survivors in the community.

Understanding the Course of Critical Illness Through a Lifeworld Approach

“…To ensure that patients who find themselves being "unable" get adequate help, the health care must be tailored to individual rehabilitation that meets the patient's needs. This is also a goal within public health care documents (National health and Hospital Plan, 2019) and is supported by previous research that highlight how survivors of critical illness may experience barriers post ICU discharge and have difficulty coordinating the follow-up they need (Calkins et al, 2021;Maley et al, 2016).…”

Longing for homelikeness: A hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of patients' lived experiences in recovery from COVID‐19‐associated intensive care unit acquired weakness

“…The importance of human contact and the presence of significant others have also been described previously (Alexandersen et al, 2019 ; Fredriksen & Svensson, 2010 ; Karlsson et al, 2012 ; Lykkegaard & Delmar, 2015 ; Mylén et al, 2016 ; Tingsvik et al, 2018 ). The last decade has seen a growing body of qualitative literature regarding ICU recovery (Abdalrahim & Zeilani, 2014 ; Ågård et al, 2012 ; Apitzsch et al, 2021 ; Calkins et al, 2021 ; Corner et al, 2019 ; Deacon, 2012 ; Ewens et al, 2018 ; Jensen et al, 2017 ; Kang & Jeong, 2018 ; Kean et al, 2017 ; Maley et al, 2016 ; Nelderup et al, 2018 ; Palesjö et al, 2015 ; Thurston et al, 2020 ; Umberger & Thomas, 2019 ; Vogel et al, 2021 ). It is not surprising that our findings show overlap with these studies, such as ‘dealing with setbacks’ (Vogel et al, 2021 ), ‘learning to live in a changed body’ (Palesjö et al, 2015 ) or ‘regaining a mental balance’ (Nelderup et al, 2018 ).…”

The Meaning of Critical Illness for People Suffering From COVID-19: When a Frightening Unreality Becomes Reality

“…It is evident that besides being severely ill, patients face other stressful situations during their ICU admission. Patients who have been critically ill in ICU are vulnerable and have feelings of anxiety and loneliness as they face an uncertain recovery trajectory (Calkins et al, 2021). Loneliness is a feeling of being by oneself.…”