Exploring the Impact of ICU Diary on ICU Survivors' Emotions and Feelings: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: An intensive care unit (ICU) diary provides a powerful and moving account of a patient's journey through critical care. AIM: The primary goal of this research was to explore the qualitative perceptions of general ICU survivors toward the ICU diary, which was completed during their hospital stay and reintroduced to them during a follow-up visit 6 months after ICU discharge. SETTING: An Italian general ICU with structured follow-up and an ICU diary program. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive method was used using semistructured telephone interviews involving 10 ICU survivors admitted between December 1, 2019, and April 30, 2021. FINDINGS: The main findings showed that the ICU diary is considered a very useful tool by ICU survivors to gain a better understanding of what happened during their ICU stay. Two main themes and 5 subthemes emerged from the analysis: (1) to fill the gap (clinical events in the ICU, family members' experience, care provided by nurses and physicians) and (2) personal feelings (positive and negative). Reading the diary enabled participants, and hence unaware of their surroundings, to bridge a "time gap" and gain a clearer understanding of events that occurred during the ICU stay. The participants emphasized the significance of reading the ICU diary in understanding what their family members went through. The ICU diary has allowed individuals to become aware of the extensive efforts of health care professionals to meet their needs. Several emotions emerged from reading the ICU diary: amazement, contentment, gratitude, joy, love, affection, happiness, pain, and anguish. CONCLUSIONS: ICU diaries are highly valued by ICU survivors because they allow them to gain a deeper understanding of ICU stay. Increased comprehension and processing of events can help reduce the symptoms of post-intensive care syndrome and empower patients to regain control of their lives with renewed motivation.