Web-based Follow-up to Former ICU Patients

Web-based Follow-up to Former ICU Patients

This study evaluates if a web-based 1-year programme is a useful method for follow-up intensive care survivors with short ICU-stay. Half of the participants are randomized into receiving the web-based follow-up while the other half will receive no follow-up.

It is not uncommon for Intensive care survivors to have persisting, psychiatric, cognitive and physical impairments long time after the critical illness occurred. Today, nurse-led follow-up is used but the main focus is on patients with a ICU-stay for at least three days. This study evaluates ICU-survivors with a maximum ICU-stay for 72 hours.

Participants are randomized to the web-based one year follow-up programme and no follow-up. Both group receive questionnaire 2, 6 and 12 month after the end of their intensive care stay.

The web-based follow-up programme includes, short lectures that describes the intensive care e.g. hallucinations, memory loss and delirium. The programme also include short films that shows the medical equipment and how and why it´s used. Regular contact with ICU-nurse to discuss any upcoming problems.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ≥18 years of age.
• Treated at the ICU under the time of the study.
• Have a Bank-id (which is needed to log in to the website.)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Institutionalized due to severe cognitive deficit.
• Does not communicate in the Swedish language.
• Patient is moved from other ICU to ICU where study is being held.
• Patient is sent to another ICU from ICU where study is being held.
• No home address.
• Patient decline to participate in study.
• Patient is receiving psychiatric specialist care post-icu e.g. high suicide risk.
• Patient is receiving ICU-treatment due to violence and is under on-going police-investigation.
• Palliative care.
• Patient receiving in-hospital care for more than 4 weeks in a row (except patient who is cared for in physical rehab-clinic at the hospital).