title: Phenomenologic analysis of healthcare worker perceptions of intensive care unit diaries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies have reported associations between diaries kept for intensive care unit (ICU) patients and long-term quality-of-life and psychological outcomes in patients and their relatives. Little was known about perceptions of healthcare workers reading and writing in the diaries. We investigated healthcare worker perceptions the better to understand their opinions and responses to reading and writing in the diaries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a phenomenologic approach to conduct a qualitative study of 36 semistructured interviews in a medical-surgical ICU in a 460-bed tertiary hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two domains of perception were assessed: reading and writing in the diaries. These two domains led to four main themes in the ICU workers' perceptions: suffering of the families; using the diary as a source of information for families but also as generating difficulties in writing bad news; determining the optimal interpersonal distance with the patient and relatives; and using the diary as a tool for constructing a narrative of the patient's ICU stay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ICU workers thought that the diary was beneficial in communicating the suffering of families while providing comfort and helping to build the patient's ICU narrative. They reported strong emotions related to the diaries and a perception of intruding into the patients' and families' privacy when reading the diaries. Fear of strong emotional investment may adversely affect the ability of ICU workers to perform their duties optimally. ICU workers are in favor of ICU diaries, but activation by the diaries of emotions among younger ICU workers may require specific support.
authors: Antoine
authors: A
authors: Perier
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Revah-Levy
authors: Cédric
authors: C
authors: Bruel
authors: Nathalie
authors: N
authors: Cousin
authors: Stéphanie
authors: S
authors: Angeli
authors: Sandie
authors: S
authors: Brochon
authors: François
authors: F
authors: Philippart
authors: Adeline
authors: A
authors: Max
authors: Charles
authors: C
authors: Gregoire
authors: Benoit
authors: B
authors: Misset
authors: Maité
authors: M
authors: Garrouste-Orgeas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000379:methods