Impact of post-intensive care syndrome of ICU survivors on burden of primary caregivers

Abstract

Objective To explore the impact of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) of ICU survivors on burden of primary caregivers. Methods This study included ICU survivors and primary caregivers who meeting the conditions between 2016.4.1 and 2017.6.30. Mini-mental State Examination, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Self-rating Scale and the Barthel Index Rating Scale were used to assess PICS in ICU survivors at 3 months after discharge from ICU. At the same time, the Chinese Zarit Burden Interview was used to assess the primary caregivers' burden. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between PICS and primary caregiver burden. Results PICS occurred in 127 patients. 228 (58.9%) caregivers had mild or no burden, 102 (26.4%) had moderate burden and 57 (14.7%) had severe burden. Logistic multiple regression analysis showed that the patient's PICS was an independent risk factor for the caregiver's burden [OR=1.547(1.143-6.189), P=0.018]. Conclusions PICS of ICU survivors can increase the burden of primary caregivers. Necessary PICS education for patients and caregivers may have a certain significance to reduce the level of burden. Key words: Intensive care unit; Survivors; Caregiver; Burden; Post-intensive care syndrome