title: Follow-up visit in an ICU: receiving a sense of coherence.
abstract: To describe patients' experiences of a follow-up visit to an intensive care unit (ICU) after being critically ill and nursed there.
  
  
  
  Knowledge about the follow-up visit needs to be developed, with the previously critically ill patient in focus.
  
  
  
  Qualitative descriptive.
  
  
  
  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine patients and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The data collection occurred during spring 2014.
  
  
  
  During the follow-up visits in ICU, the relatives, the patient diary, and those who took part in the care contribute to fill memory gaps to create a picture and an explanation of the care period.
  
  
  
  The follow-up visit is an important tool in the patients' struggle to create a context and coherence from a missing or unreal time. The patient diary is essential to subsequently be able to relate to the period of care.
  
  
  
  The follow-up visit, together with a personal diary, after an ICU stay could be seen as significant for strengthening the patients' feeling of coherence and better health.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Engström
authors.affiliation: Piteå Hospial, Piteå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rogmalm
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Piteå Hospital, Piteå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marklund
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Britt-Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Wälivaara
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare / Q000523:psychology*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D060685:Sense of Coherence
keywords: Adult intensive care; Critical care nursing; ICU follow-up; Qualitative research