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Structured nurse‐led follow‐up for patients after discharge from the intensive care unit: Prospective quasi‐experimental study
Author(s) -
Jónasdóttir Rannveig J.,
Jones Christina,
Sigurdsson Gisli H.,
Jónsdóttir Helga
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.13485
Subject(s) - medicine , intensive care , intensive care unit , critical care nursing , psychological intervention , health care , nursing , guideline , prospective cohort study , population , emergency medicine , family medicine , intensive care medicine , surgery , environmental health , pathology , economics , economic growth
Aims The aim of this study was to describe a structured 3‐month nurse‐led follow‐up of patients after discharge from intensive care and measure its effects on health status. Background Patients requiring intensive care stay frequently have lengthy and incomplete recovery suggesting need for additional support. The effects of intensive care nurse‐led follow‐up have not been sufficiently elucidated. Design A prospective, quasi‐experimental study of patients who received structured nurse‐led follow‐up from intensive care nurses after discharge from intensive care until 3 months afterwards. The control group received usual care. Methods Of 574 patients assessed for eligibility, from November 2012 ‐ May 2015, 168 were assigned to the experimental group ( N = 73) and the control group ( N = 75). Primary outcome was health status, measured with eight scales of Short Form‐36v2, before the intensive care admission and at four time points until 12 months after intensive care. A mixed effect model tested differences between the groups over time. Criteria for Reporting Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions 2 guideline, guided the reporting of the intervention. Results The structured nurse‐led follow‐up did not improve patients’ health status compared with usual care (mixed effect model, p = .078–.937). Conclusion The structured nurse‐led follow‐up did not reveal an effect on the intensive care patients studied. Further examination of intensive care nurse‐led follow‐up is needed, taking into account the heterogeneity of the patient population, variations in length of ward stay, patients’ health care needs during the first week at home after discharge from general ward and health status before intensive care admission.