• C G Bäckman and S M Walther.
• Intensive Care Unit, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Vrinnevisjukhuset, Norrköping, Sweden. sten.walther@lio.se
• Intensive Care Med. 2001 Feb 1;27(2):426-9.

ObjectiveTo explore the use of a diary as an aid in debriefing patients and relatives following critical illness.DesignObservation study.SettingIntensive care unit of a 500-bed hospital.Patients And ParticipantsFifty-one critically ill patients and their relatives.MethodA daily account of the patient's progress was written in everyday language by nursing staff, photographs were added as necessary. The booklet was given to the patient or a relative at a follow-up appointment 2 weeks after discharge from the unit. A standard questionnaire was mailed 6 months later, responses were analyzed by an independent observer.Measurements And ResultsAll diaries had been read by survivors (n = 41) or relatives (n = 10), 51% of the diaries had been read more than 10 times. Comments in the questionnaires were graded as very positive (39%), positive (28%) and neutral (33%).ConclusionsA detailed narrative of the patient's stay is a useful tool in the debriefing process following intensive care.

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