Intensive Care Experiences of Postoperative Patients

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the intensive care experience of postoperative patients. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between February and May 2021 with the participation of 75 surgical intensive care patients. Data were collected using the patient identification form and The Intensive Care Experiences Scale (ICES). Shapiro-Wilks test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Bonferroni Corrected Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used in analyzing the data. Results: The mean patient age was 62.8 ± 14.9 year (min: 23 and max: 95); 53.3% (n = 40) were male. The patients' mean length of stay in the intensive care unit was 1.4 ± 1.0 days. The mean ICES score of the patients was 57.4 ± 3.9. It was found that the patients' mean scores of the "satisfaction with care" subscale varied according to the surgical procedure applied, connection to mechanical ventilation, and status of seeing other individuals receiving treatment. Conclusions: Patients' intensive care experiences were partially positive. Being aware of the patients' experiences, supporting them in biopsychosocial aspects, and being in contact will contribute to the improvement of their postsurgical intensive care experience.