Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
Department of Perioperative Medicine and Intensive care, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2022 Jan;66(1):94-102. doi: 10.1111/aas.13988. Epub 2021 Oct 3.
Informal caregivers to intensive care unit (ICU) survivors may develop post-intensive care syndrome family (PICS-F), including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress (PTS). Our primary aim was to investigate associations between caregiver burden in informal caregivers cohabiting with ICU survivors and patients' physical and psychological outcomes.
A prospective, multicentre cohort study in four ICUs in Sweden. Adults cohabiting with ICU patients included in a previous study were eligible for inclusion. Three months post-ICU, informal caregivers received questionnaires assessing caregiver burden, health-related quality of life (HRQL) and symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTS. In parallel, patients reported their three-month physical and psychological status via validated questionnaires. The primary outcome of this study was to compare caregiver burden in informal caregivers to patients with and without adverse physical and psychological outcomes 3 months post-ICU. Secondary outcomes were correlations between caregiver burden and informal caregivers' mental HRQL.
Among 62 included informal caregivers, 55 (89%) responded to the follow-up questionnaires. Caregiver burden was higher among informal caregivers to patients with an adverse outcome, compared to informal caregivers to patients without an adverse outcome, caregiver burden scale score mean (±standard deviation) 52 (11) and 41 (13) respectively (p = 0.003). There was strong negative correlation between caregiver burden and informal caregivers' mental HRQL (r -0.74, p < 0.001).
Informal caregivers to ICU survivors with adverse physical or psychological outcome experience a higher caregiver burden. A higher caregiver burden correlates with worse caregiver mental HRQL. ICU follow-up programs should consider screening and follow-up of informal caregivers for mental health problems.
重症监护病房（ICU）幸存者的非专业照护者可能会发展为 ICU 后综合征家庭（PICS-F），包括抑郁、焦虑和创伤后应激（PTS）。我们的主要目的是研究 ICU 幸存者的非专业照护者的照护负担与患者的身体和心理结局之间的关系。
这是一项在瑞典 4 家 ICU 进行的前瞻性、多中心队列研究。先前研究中居住在 ICU 患者家中的成年人有资格入选。在 ICU 后 3 个月，非专业照护者接受了评估照护者负担、健康相关生活质量（HRQL）以及抑郁、焦虑和 PTS 症状的问卷。与此同时，患者通过验证过的问卷报告了他们 3 个月的身体和心理状况。本研究的主要结局是比较 ICU 后 3 个月非专业照护者照护负担在有和无不良身体和心理结局的患者之间的差异。次要结局是照护者负担与非专业照护者心理健康 HRQL 之间的相关性。
在 62 名纳入的非专业照护者中，有 55 名（89%）对随访问卷做出了回应。与无不良结局的患者相比，有不良结局的患者的非专业照护者的照护负担更高，照护负担量表评分平均值（±标准差）分别为 52（11）和 41（13）（p=0.003）。照护负担与非专业照护者心理健康 HRQL 呈强烈负相关（r=-0.74，p<0.001）。
有不良身体或心理结局的 ICU 幸存者的非专业照护者经历了更高的照护负担。更高的照护负担与更差的照护者心理健康 HRQL 相关。ICU 随访项目应考虑对非专业照护者进行心理健康问题的筛查和随访。
