Evaluation of quality of life after discharge in intensive care patients

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to assess the quality of life patients who were hospitalized in ICU of anesthesia 3 and 6 months after discharge. The main objektive of the study is to investigate the reasons for the decline in quality of life after patients discharged from the ICU. Method: we conducted our study with patients who were hospitalized in Manisa Celal Bayar Univercity Hospital ICU between July 1,2023 and October 31, 2023. Patients aged 18 and older, who stayed in ICU for more than 24 hours included in the study. We recorded patients baseline measurements of SF-36 and EQ-5D on the day they were admitted to ICU. Three months after discharge, we contacted patietns by phone and administered SF-36 scale. Six months after discharge, we contacted patients by phone again and assessed both the SF-36 and EQ-5D scales. We statistically analyzed measurements and datas. Results: It was determined that forty-eight percent of our patients were admitted to ICU due to trauma,twenty-one percent postoperatively, seven percent due to sepsis and twenty-four percent for other reasons. It was known that patients with a high APACHE II score have greater organ dysfunction when they admitted to ICU. And those patients quality of life measurements were lower. Analysis revealed that all subscales of SF-36 showed lower scores at the 3rd and 6th months compared to baseline values; however, the 6th months measurements were higher than 3th months. The VAS values was also determined to be lower than baseline measurements. It was observed that the need for mechanical ventilation and prolonged hospital stays negatively impacted these parameters. Conclusion: Hospitalization and treatment process in ICU significantly affects patients quality of life. Identifying adaptation to daily life after discharge and providing necessary guidance to improve their daily skills is highly important.