• Åsa Engström, Katarina Rogmalm, Lisa Marklund, and Britt-Marie Wälivaara.
• Associate Professor, Division of Nursing, Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden.
• Nurs Crit Care. 2018 Nov 1; 23 (6): 308-315.

AimTo describe patients' experiences of a follow-up visit to an intensive care unit (ICU) after being critically ill and nursed there.BackgroundKnowledge about the follow-up visit needs to be developed, with the previously critically ill patient in focus.DesignQualitative descriptive.MethodSemi-structured interviews were conducted with nine patients and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The data collection occurred during spring 2014.FindingsDuring the follow-up visits in ICU, the relatives, the patient diary, and those who took part in the care contribute to fill memory gaps to create a picture and an explanation of the care period.ConclusionThe follow-up visit is an important tool in the patients' struggle to create a context and coherence from a missing or unreal time. The patient diary is essential to subsequently be able to relate to the period of care.Relevance To Clinical PracticeThe follow-up visit, together with a personal diary, after an ICU stay could be seen as significant for strengthening the patients' feeling of coherence and better health.© 2015 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

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