title: Intensive care diaries and relatives' symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder after critical illness: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Relatives of patients recovering from critical illness are at risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To test whether providing a diary to intensive care patients and their relatives reduces the level of symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder in the relatives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study of close family members of patients who stayed more than 72 hours in an intensive care unit, recruited in 2 centers of a 12-center randomized controlled trial examining the effect of a diary outlining the details of the patients' stay in the intensive care unit on the development of new-onset posttraumatic stress disorder in patients. The close family members of the patients were recruited to examine the additional effect of the provision of the patient's diary on the family members' symptoms related to posttraumatic stress syndrome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-six family members were recruited, and 30 completed the study. Family members of patients who received their diary at 1 month had lower levels of symptoms related to posttraumatic stress disorder (P = .03) at the 3-month follow-up than did the control family members.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Provision of a diary may help psychological recovery in patients' families after critical illness.
authors.affiliation: Whiston Hospital in Prescot, United Kingdom. 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: Richard David
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Griffiths
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016638:Critical Illness; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D014956:Writing