Does intermediate care minimize relocation stress for patients leaving the ICU?

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Transition
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Relocation stress involves physical and psychological disturbances post-transfer.
• Patients discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a general ward may experience significant stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if intermediate care minimizes relocation stress after ICU discharge.
• To identify factors contributing to relocation stress during patient transfer.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of 11 selected studies (primary and secondary research).
• Utilized electronic and manual searches with defined key terms and criteria.
• Tabulation and critical appraisal of retrieved studies.

Main Results:

• Key factors contributing to relocation stress include loss of one-to-one nursing, reduced monitoring, lack of care continuity, and inadequate patient preparation.
• Early planning, gradual reduction of nursing attention/monitoring, and providing information can mitigate these factors.
• No sufficient evidence was found to support intermediate care easing the ICU-to-ward transition.

Conclusions:

• While intermediate care offers benefits like advanced monitoring, its effectiveness in reducing relocation stress is not proven.
• Strategies for minimizing relocation stress involve proactive patient preparation and phased adjustments to care.
• Further research is needed to establish the role of intermediate care in patient transitions.