American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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The prognostic importance of subsyndromal delirium is unknown. ⋯ Subsyndromal delirium occurred in most critically ill patients, and its duration was an independent predictor of institutionalization. Routine monitoring of all delirium symptoms may enable detection of full and subsyndromal forms of delirium.
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As mortality rates for patients treated in intensive care units decrease, greater understanding of the impact of critical illness on patients' well-being is needed. ⋯ Survivors of acute respiratory failure reported substantial issues with their physical, mental, and social health. Holistic assessments of outcomes of survivors of critical illness should capture the complex beneficial and adverse impacts of critical illness on survivors' well-being and social health.