• Carla M Sevin, Leanne M Boehm, Elizabeth Hibbert, Anthony J Bastin, James C Jackson, Joel Meyer, Tara Quasim, Rita N Bakhru, Ashley Montgomery-Yates, Andrew Slack, Mary Still, Giora Netzer, Mark E Mikkelsen, Theodore J Iwashyna, Kimberley J Haines, and Joanne McPeake.
• Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
• Crit Care Explor. 2021 May 1; 3 (5): e0420.

ObjectivesTo understand the unmet needs of caregivers of ICU survivors, how they accessed support post ICU, and the key components of beneficial ICU recovery support systems as identified from a caregiver perspective.DesignInternational, qualitative study.SubjectsWe conducted 20 semistructured interviews with a diverse group of caregivers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, 11 of whom had interacted with an ICU recovery program.SettingSeven hospitals in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.InterventionsNone.Measurements And Main ResultsContent analysis was used to explore prevalent themes related to unmet needs, as well as perceived strategies to improve ICU outcomes. Post-ICU care was perceived to be generally inadequate. Desired caregiver support fell into two main categories: practical support and emotional support. Successful care delivery initiatives included structured programs, such as post discharge telephone calls, home health programs, post-ICU clinics, and peer support groups, and standing information resources, such as written educational materials and online resources.ConclusionsThis qualitative, multicenter, international study of caregivers of critical illness survivors identified consistently unmet needs, means by which caregivers accessed support post ICU, and several care mechanisms identified by caregivers as supporting optimal ICU recovery.Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

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