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Changes in quality of life after intensive care: comparison with normal data
S A Ridley1, P S Chrispin, H Scotton
1Intensive Care Unit, Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, UK.
Anaesthesia
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Critically ill patients often have lower quality of life post-intensive care. However, those with acute conditions may see further decline, while others with pre-existing issues experience improvements.
Area of Science:
- Critical Care Medicine
- Health Outcomes Research
- Quality of Life Studies
Background:
- Critically ill patients' quality of life (QoL) is a significant concern.
- Premorbid QoL and changes after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the premorbid quality of life of critically ill patients with normal values.
- To assess changes in quality of life 6 months after intensive care unit discharge.
Main Methods:
- The Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was administered to 166 ICU survivors at discharge.
- A subset of 95 patients returned questionnaires after 6 months of convalescence.
- Patients were categorized based on acute life-threatening conditions versus pre-existing ill health.
Main Results:
- ICU survivors reported significantly lower QoL scores across all dimensions compared to normal values.
- Patients with acute life-threatening conditions had similar overall scores to normal values at discharge.
- After 6 months, patients with acute pathologies showed decreased QoL, while those with pre-existing conditions reported improved QoL, including reduced pain and better mental health.
Conclusions:
- Most patients admitted to intensive care have a lower quality of life than the general population.
- Quality of life does not uniformly deteriorate; patients with acute life-threatening events are an exception, experiencing declines.
- Convalescence can lead to quality of life improvements for patients with pre-existing conditions, highlighting the need for tailored post-ICU care.