Recovery following discharge from intensive care: What do patients think is helpful and what services are missing?

Background Recovery following critical illness is complex due to the many challenges patients face which influence their long-term outcomes. We explored patients’ views about facilitators of recovery after critical illness which could be used to inform the components and timing of specific rehabilitation interventions. Aims To explore the views of patients after discharge from an intensive care unit (ICU) about their recovery and factors that facilitated recovery, and to determine additional services that patients felt were missing during their recovery. Methods Qualitative study involving individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews at six months (n = 11) and twelve months (n = 10). Written, informed consent was obtained. Ethics approval 17/NI/0115. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using template analysis. Findings Template analysis revealed four core themes: (1) Physical activity and function; (2) Recovery of cognitive and emotional function; (3) Facilitators to recovery; and (4) Gaps in healthcare services. Conclusion Patient reported facilitators to recovery include support and guidance from others and self-motivation and goal setting, equipment for mobility and use of technology. Barriers include a lack of follow up services, exercise rehabilitation, peer support and personal feedback. Patients perceived that access to specific healthcare services was fragmented and where services were unavailable this contributed to slower or poorer quality of recovery. ICU patient recover could be facilitated by a comprehensive rehabilitation intervention that includes patient-directed strategies and health care services.