Incidence and factors associated with post-intensive care syndrome among caregivers of intensive care unit survivors: Protocol for a cohort study
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Date
2025
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Abstract
Background: During the last decades, intensive care unit (ICU) mortality rates have significantly decreased but this progress has come with unintended consequences for patients and their caregivers. The adverse health-related effects observed in caregivers during the post-ICU period are referred to as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome-Family (PICS-F). Despite growing awareness of PICS-F, the long-term challenges faced by caregivers of ICU patients are not well characterized with several gaps in knowledge remaining unaddressed. The proposed study aims to determine the incidence of PICS-F impairments and identify associated factors among caregivers of ICU survivors. Methods: We plan to conduct a longitudinal prospective cohort study involving 175 caregivers of ICU patients admitted to a public hospital in Chile. Data will be collected during ICU admission, after ICU discharge, 3 months and 6 months after hospital discharge. Questionnaires will evaluate caregivers’ psychological, physical and cognitive outcomes and perceived social support, resilience, family satisfaction and caregiver burden. Factors associated with PICS-F impairments will be explored using generalised linear mixed models. Discussion: The current understanding of PICS-F is limited, particularly regarding the risk and protective factors associated with the syndrome among caregivers of ICU survivors. This study will contribute to addressing this gap by providing novel data about PICS-F and exploring previously unexamined factors linked to PICS-F such as family satisfaction, psychological buffers and caregiver burden.