title: Intensive care diaries reduce new onset post traumatic stress disorder following critical illness: a randomised, controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients recovering from critical illness have been shown to be at risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD). This study was to evaluate whether a prospectively collected diary of a patient's intensive care unit (ICU) stay when used during convalescence following critical illness will reduce the development of new onset PTSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intensive care patients with an ICU stay of more than 72 hours were recruited to a randomised controlled trial examining the effect of a diary outlining the details of the patients ICU stay on the development of acute PTSD. The intervention patients received their ICU diary at 1 month following critical care discharge and the final assessment of the development of acute PTSD was made at 3 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  352 patients were randomised to the study at 1 month. The incidence of new cases of PTSD was reduced in the intervention group compared to the control patients (5% versus 13%, P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The provision of an ICU diary is effective in aiding psychological recovery and reducing the incidence of new PTSD.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT00912613.
authors.affiliation: ICU, Whiston Hospital, Warrington Road, Prescot L35 5DR, UK. christina.jones@sthk.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bäckman
authors.forename: Maurizia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capuzzo
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Egerod
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Flaatten
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Granja
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rylander
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Griffiths
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult