Research has shown that Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survivors often report having memory gaps from their time in hospital. This is usually associated with factors such as anxiety and post-traumatic disorder.
Over the years, we have seen clinical trials involving the use of diaries to record patients’ experiences in the ICU to help with memory recall.
The results showed that those who received the diaries after their time in hospital were at lower risk of depression than those who did not receive the diaries.
Overall, the initiative improved the quality of life of the patients who had spent time in the ICU.
As a result, we have seen these diaries become more and more common in hospitals across the UK.
Michael Rosen, best known for his children’s classic We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, shared his appreciation for the diary scheme after he was admitted to ICU in 2020.
“The patient diary kept by the nurses and physios who looked after me when I was in intensive care, is a window into part of my life that is unknown to me. It is full of care and kindness and helps me make sense of the bewildering changes I’ve been through. It’s a treasure,” he Tweeted.
The celebrated author was given his diary after spending 48 days in an induced coma while battling a vicious case of Covid-19.
Will ICU diaries become common practice?
Lucy Pitt, who is an intensive care matron, introduced ICU diaries to The Royal Sussex County Hospital after writing part of her dissertation on the patient experience.
Commenting on the success of the move, she told us: “It helps bring them [the ICU patients] back to reality and is good for post-traumatic stress. I think it’s really brilliant for improving the patient experience and if someone dies then it’s something you can give to their relatives, so their loved ones can see that they were looked after well.
“We provide a little account of what has happened to them each day and the family fills it in too. When they wake up they can catch up on the days they missed while they were unconscious. It helps them reorientate themselves back to reality," she explains.
“I think it will eventually catch on as best practice - lots of hospitals are implementing it already and it’s been a great success so far.”
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