• Wytske W Geense, Mirjam de Graaf, Hester Vermeulen, Johannes van der Hoeven, Marieke Zegers, and Mark van den Boogaard.
• Radboud university medical center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
• J Crit Care. 2021 Oct 1; 65: 36-41.

PurposeTo gain insight into the daily functioning of ICU survivors who reported a reduced quality of life (QoL) one year after ICU admission.Materials And MethodsA two-phase mixed method study design. QoL was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire before admission and after one year (Phase 1). Participants reporting a reduced QoL were invited for an in-depth interview (Phase 2). Interview data were coded thematically using the PROMIS framework.ResultsOf the 797 participants, 173 (22%) reported a reduced QoL, of which 19 purposively selected patients were interviewed. In line with their questionnaire scores, most participants described their QoL as reduced. They suffered from physical, mental and/or cognitive problems, impacting their daily life, restricting hobbies, work, and social activities. A new balance in life, including relationships, had to be found. Some interviewees experienced no changes in their QoL; they were grateful for being alive, set new life priorities, and were able to accept their life with its limitations.ConclusionsReduction in QoL is due to physical, mental, and cognitive health problems, restricting participants what they want to do. However, QoL was not only affected by the critical illness, but also by factors including independency, comorbidity, and life events. Registration: NCT03246334 (clinical trials.gov).Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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