Quality of life after intensive care

The outcome of intensive care is related to patient selection and case-mix. Especially when assessing QOL, the results should be interpreted in the context of age and the cause of intensive care admission. Only a few QOL studies so far have databases which are large enough to characterize the outcome in specific patient groups. The influence of preexisting chronic diseases should be taken into account as well. A far more difficult issue is how to screen for differences in socioeconomic background. Problems in physical functioning seem to be common among ICU patients in general, but among younger patients the psychosocial problems are also dominant. While the QOL after intensive care as compared with reference values may be better perceived among older patients, the previously healthy and younger ones tend to experience more limitations. The reason for intensive care presumably has impact on the pattern of convalescence. A better understanding of the natural history of recovery from critical illness may help to identify those patients who need more intensive rehabilitation.