21 Intensive care patients’ experiences at post-ICU discharge follow-up clinic. ensuring communication and empathy as the cornerstones to developing trust and patient-healthcare worker relationships

Introduction

Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) describes the health problems that remain after critical illness. PICS has become an increasingly recognised problem in survivors of severe critical illness. These problems fall into three broad categories: physical, cognitive, and psychiatric impairment.

Methods

After commencing a post-ICU discharge clinic to enable follow up of ICU patients post-discharge, we conducted a Phenomenological study exploring and illuminating the experiences of the first patients referred to the clinic. The data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, identifying two superordinate themes.

Results

The superordinate-theme 'I have a voice: you're just not listening' had three themes; Patience, not predictive text– describing patient's frustrations at people's inability to wait for their prolonged communication to finish; 'Yes, I did just say that'– describing patient's frustrations that people were not accepting they were having have bad days too; 'Talk to the hand'- describing patient's frustration at people not picking up on body language when they couldn't use their mouth. The superordinate-theme 'Wear my shoes: empathic understanding' had three themes; 'Care not pity'– describing patient's need to have their carers help them to get better rather than feel sorry for them; 'From the minute I wake up'– describing patient's need to have people show empathy at all times, as a single lack of it is devastating; 'Small things are massive'– describing patient's need for people to see what might seem a small issue can be overpowering at that moment.

Conclusions

Whilst empathy and communication are often discussed as vital aspects of patient care, this study provides context and examples of how they impact everyday practice for all healthcare staff, allowing the formation of trust and a conducive patient-healthcare worker relationship. This contextualised and humanised approach to patients will guide ICU staff in how to improve the management of future ICU patients.