ICU sedation, delirium & recovery
Self-reported symptoms experienced by intensive care unit patients: a prospective observational multicenter study
Authors' conclusion
Self-reporting ICU patients experienced a high and consistent symptom burden across seven days.
Study context
- Population
- Intensive care unit (ICU) patients able to self-report symptomsof 603 eligible
- Participants
- 353 participants
- Outcome
- Prevalence, intensity and distress of pain, thirst, anxiousness, tiredness and shortness of breath (Patient Symptom Survey)
- Follow-up
- Over seven ICU days
Methodological detailsmulticentre
- Multicentre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Symptom prevalence, intensity and distress · seven ICU days
- Thirst most prevalent symptom, first ICU day (n=195)
- 66%
- Thirst mean intensity score, first ICU day
- 6.13 (95% CI 5.7-6.56)
- Thirst most prevalent symptom during seven days
- 64%
- Thirst mean intensity score during seven days
- 6.05 (95% CI 5.81-6.3)
- Anxiousness most distressful, mean distress score first day
- 5.24 (95% CI 4.32-6.15)
- Anxiousness mean distress score during seven days
- 5.46 (95% CI 4.95-5.98)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Predictors of symptom intensity (general estimating equation (GEE) model) · seven days
- Analgesic administration and sepsis associated with increased thirst intensity
- Older age and mechanical ventilation associated with decreased pain intensity; analgesic administration with increased pain intensity
- Family visits associated with increased anxiousness intensity; female gender with increased shortness of breath intensity
Original publication
Self-reported symptoms experienced by intensive care unit patients: a prospective observational multicenter study. Intensive Care Med. Published 9 October 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →