Preferred content and usefulness of a photodiary as described by ICU-patients--a mixed method analysis.
Many ICU-patients have memory-gaps which may affect their recovery. A tool in the recovery can be an ICU-diary to explain and clarify thoughts and events from the ICU-period. There are different standards for the content in the ICU-diary. The aim of this study was to identify the preferred content and usefulness of an ICU-diary as described by ICU-patients.


METHODS
A descriptive, exploratory cohort design with a mixed method approach. The patients answered a questionnaire (n=115) and participated in an interview (n=15) six months after the ICU-stay. Data analysis was carried out in three stages; the questionnaire was analysed by descriptive statistics and categorised by content (four open-ended questions) and the interviews were analysed by manifest content analysis.


RESULTS
The patients were explained that detailed information about daily activities and medical facts had to be included to understand and give a sense of coherence of what had happened. The content in the ICU-diary had to be chronological in order to follow the process in which photos were an important part. The patients re-read the ICU-diary during the recovery which helped them to fill in the memory gaps and used it as a tool for communication.


CONCLUSIONS
To construct a coherent story, it was essential that the ICU-diary was complete and were amplified by photos, all appearing in a chronological order. The results of this study could form a basis for further developments of standards and guidelines for ICU-diaries.
School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, 551 11 Jönköping, Sweden. Eva.akerman@skane.se
Eva
E
Åkerman
Anders
A
Ersson
Bengt
B
Fridlund
Karin
K
Samuelson
D000368:Aged; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires