• Anne Kathrine Langerud, Tone Rustøen, Milada Cvancarova Småstuen, Ulf Kongsgaard, and Audun Stubhaug.
• Department of Research and Development, Division of Emergencies and Critical Care, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.
• Nurs Crit Care. 2018 Jan 1; 23 (1): 48-54.

BackgroundThere is growing interest in potential long-term outcomes following intensive care, but few researchers have studied the prevalence of multiple symptoms or the association between pain and other symptoms.AimsTo investigate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among intensive care survivors 3 months and 1 year after being discharged from an intensive care unit (ICU) and to determine whether pain is associated with higher prevalence of these symptoms 3 months and 1 year after ICU stay.Study DesignExploratory, longitudinal cohort of intensive care survivors from two mixed ICUs in a tertiary referral hospital in Norway.MethodsIntensive care survivors completed surveys at 3 months (n = 118) and 1 year (n = 89) after ICU discharge. Clinical Trials: NCT02279212.ResultsPrevalence rates of intensive care survivors' symptoms were pain 58 (49·2%), anxiety/depression 24/118 (20·8%), fatigue 18/118(15·3%), PTSS 15 (12·8%) and sleep disturbance 58/118 (49·2%) at 3 months after ICU discharge (n = 118). Prevalence rates at 1 year (n = 89) changed only slightly to pain 34 (38·2%), anxiety/depression 17 (20·0%), fatigue 12 (13·8%), PTSS 13 (15·1%) and sleep disturbance 40/89 (46·5%). Associations were strong between pain and presence of sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression, PTSS and fatigue.ConclusionsIntensive care survivors have multiple symptoms and the prevalence rates of these symptoms remained almost unchanged from 3 months to 1 year after ICU discharge. The presence of pain was associated with high odds for the presence of sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression, PTSS and fatigue, compared to a no-pain group. ICU survivors may benefit from targeted interventions designed to alleviate the symptom burden.Relevance To Clinical PracticeKnowledge about ICU survivor's prevalence and risk for having multiple symptoms may help health care professionals to give better care, if needed, to the ICU survivors.© 2017 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.

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