A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Informed Self-Management Program for Acute Respiratory Failure Survivors: A...

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Psychological interventions
• Patient survivorship

Background:

• Global increase in critical illness survivors.
• High prevalence of anxiety symptoms in acute respiratory failure (ARF) survivors (approx. 50%).
• Long-term anxiety impacts 32-40% of ARF survivors post-hospitalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a psychological intervention for anxiety self-management in ARF patients.
• To evaluate the intervention's impact on anxiety symptom severity.

Main Methods:

• Feasibility study involving 11 consecutive ARF patients.
• Intervention: up to six sessions of psychological self-management for anxiety.
• Data collection: Visual Analog Scale-Anxiety (VAS-A) scores pre- and during intervention.

Main Results:

• High acceptance and adherence to the intervention among ARF patients.
• Significant reduction in anxiety symptoms, with a median decrease of 44 points on the VAS-A.
• Intervention completion varied due to patient outcomes (death or early discharge).

Conclusions:

• The self-management psychological intervention is acceptable and feasible for ARF patients.
• The intervention shows promise in reducing anxiety symptoms in this population.
• Further research is warranted to optimize delivery and assess long-term efficacy.