Doctoral Programme in Public Health Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via Vanzetti 5, 20133, Milan, Italy.
School of Nursing, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Udine, Viale Ungheria 20, 33100, Udine, Italy.
BMC Prim Care. 2022 May 5;23(1):105. doi: 10.1186/s12875-022-01720-z.
The novel coronavirus brought Intensive Care Units (ICUs) back to their past when they were closed to family members. The difficulties of family caregivers encountered after the ICU discharge might have been increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, no traces of their experience have been documented to date. The objective of this study is to explore the everyday life experience of relatives in the first three months after a non-COVID-19 ICU discharge.
A descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2020-2021. Two Italian general non-COVID-19 ICUs were approached. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted three months after the ICU discharge. The study has been conducted according to the COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research principles.
A total of 14 family members were interviewed. Participants were mostly females (n = 11; 78.6%), with an average age of 53.9 years. After three months of care of their beloved at home, relatives' experience is summarised in three themes: "Being shaken following the ICU discharge", as experiencing negative and positive feelings; "Returning to our life that is no longer the same", as realising that nothing can be as before; and "Feeling powerless due to the COVID-19 pandemic", given the missed care from community services and the restrictions imposed.
Relatives seem to have experienced a bilateral restriction of opportunities - at the hospital without any engagement in care activities and their limited possibility to visit the ICU, and at home in terms of formal and informal care.
新型冠状病毒使重症监护病房（ICU）回到了过去，那时它们对家属关闭。在 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间，ICU 出院后，家属可能会遇到更多的困难。然而，迄今为止，还没有记录他们的经验。本研究的目的是探讨非 COVID-19 ICU 出院后三个月内亲属的日常生活体验。
这是一项 2020-2021 年进行的描述性定性研究。对两家意大利普通非 COVID-19 ICU 进行了调查。在 ICU 出院后三个月进行了随访电话访谈。本研究按照 COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research 原则进行。
共对 14 名家属进行了采访。参与者主要是女性（n=11；78.6%），平均年龄为 53.9 岁。在在家照顾亲人三个月后，亲属的经历总结为三个主题：“从 ICU 出院后感到震惊”，即经历负面和积极的情绪；“回到我们不再一样的生活”，即意识到没有什么可以像以前一样；以及“由于 COVID-19 大流行而感到无能为力”，因为社区服务的护理缺失和限制。
亲属似乎经历了机会的双向限制——在医院没有任何护理活动，并且探望 ICU 的机会有限，在家中则在正式和非正式护理方面受到限制。
