Prevalence of and risk factors analysis for post-intensive care syndrome among survivors of critical care during 3-month longitudinal follow-up.

Background: Patients discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) can experience post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which is comprised of cognitive, physical and psychological impairments.

Aim: The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of and risk factors associated with all three domains of PICS at the first and third month after ICU discharge.

Design: A prospective descriptive-analytic study was conducted in two ICUs of a Chinese university hospital. We used the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor Self-Report Chinese version, a scale from 1 to 57, with 57 indicating the worst outcome, to comprehensively assess PICS at the first and third month follow-ups after patients left the ICU. We performed an analysis of stepwise multiple linear regression to explore the relationship between risk factors and PICS.

Results: We enrolled 654 and 584 participants at the first- and third-month follow-ups, respectively. More than 60% of patients experienced different degrees of PICS, with the most severe impairment being in the physical domain. We classified risk factors associated with PICS, categorized as patient-related, disease-related, and ICU-related factors. Among these risk factors, only being the main income provider for the family, the diagnosis of digestive system disease, trauma and the number of invasive catheters at ICU discharge significantly predicted PICS at both follow-ups. ICU-related risk factors should be given greater attention, given their potential for modification.

Conclusions: The prevalence and severity of PICS were high in this population after their ICU stay. ICU nurses and medical staff members should collaborate to pay more attention to the comprehensive risk factors and implement targeted preventive measures.

Relevance to clinical practice: ICU staff must have a holistic view of PICS and a comprehensive understanding of its risk factors to proactively evaluate patients at high risk of PICS upon admission to the hospital.