Predictors of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome in Family Members of Patients With Severe Sepsis

Methods Prospective study on 4 ICUs in one German University hospital (04/2014 01/2015). The main relative of consecutive patients with severe sepsis were interviewed by phone at 90 days after patient discharge or death. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were assessed by the Impact of Event Scale (IES), symptoms of anxiety and depression by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Predictors were chosen based on literature, including demographic data, satisfaction with ICU care and information and experience of end-of-life care in the ICU. All patients’ health status before severe sepsis and survivors’ health status at 90 days were assessed by the relative using the EQ-5D questionnaire. A new item was introduced: feeling overstrained by the ICU experience with rating on a scale from 1 to 10. Linear regression analyses were used to identify predictors in the full sample and among relatives of deceased and surviving patients.