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Psychological problems following ICU treatment.
1Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Anaesthesia
|February 13, 2001
Summary
Intensive care unit (ICU) stays can cause lasting anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nearly half of patients. A new scale helps identify distress directly linked to ICU treatment experiences.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Intensive care unit (ICU) treatment is a significant stressor.
- Patients may experience long-term psychological symptoms impacting quality of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in former ICU patients.
- To introduce and validate a new scale, the Experience after Treatment in Intensive Care 7 Item Scale (ETIC-7), for measuring ICU-specific psychological distress.
Main Methods:
- A postal questionnaire study involving 80 adult patients previously treated in a general ICU.
- Utilized validated scales: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Trauma Symptom Checklist 33 (TSC-33), and Impact of Events Scale (IES).
- Compared patient-reported outcomes using established scales and the newly developed ETIC-7.
Main Results:
- 47% of patients reported clinically significant anxiety and depression (HADS).
- 38% reported significant PTSD symptoms, with 15% meeting criteria for full PTSD (TSC-33, IES).
- The ETIC-7 scale demonstrated that a portion of reported PTSD was directly linked to the ICU experience.
Conclusions:
- A substantial proportion of patients suffer from psychological distress following ICU admission.
- The ETIC-7 is a valuable tool for identifying and quantifying distress specifically related to the ICU environment.
- Targeted interventions may be needed to address ICU-related psychological sequelae.