[Intensive medicine--and what follows? Psychosocial follow-up study of former intensive care patients]

Abstract

Intensive care medicine enables the organic survival of many seriously ill patients; however, long continuing of disease and trauma itself and the addition of life supporting therapy can remain and make social readjustment difficult. In order to obtain data on the outcome of former intensive care patients we re-examined all patients for three consecutive years who had been discharged from a multidisciplinary ICU. The patients and relatives were interviewed to elucidate changes in personality, behaviour and handicaps. These data were tested on the basis of several hypotheses. 182 patients were tested. The death rate varied for the three different years between 27% up to 37% per reexamined year. 22%-32% of the former patients reported being seriously, 69%-78% reported being moderately disabled. The suicidal tendency is equal to the standard population, although dying and death become a central theme (39%). Due to the drug consumption the health status got worse in 35% of the former patients. Despite severe psychological and physical handicaps 97% were convinced of the necessity of an ICU.