Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Associate professor Anne Højager Nielsen, Aarhus University,
- Second opponent: Associate professor Janet Froulund Jensen, University of Southern Denmark,
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor II Bjørn Bendz, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor emeritus Bjørn Allan Moum, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate professor Brita Fosser Olsen, Østfold University College
Summary
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at risk of developing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after surviving critical illness. Knowledge about associated risk factors, particularly patients’ prior health status and demographic characteristics, remains limited. Furthermore, little is known about how these factors influence levels of hope during recovery after ICU discharge.
This thesis assessed patient reported outcomes in ICU survivors in terms of PTSS and hope the first year after ICU stay. Data were collected from 603 adult patients admitted to six ICUs at two Norwegian hospitals between 2018 and 2020 who received mechanical ventilation, or continuous vasoactive drug infusions, or continuous monitoring (≥24 hours). Data from four subsamples were analyzed with quantitative methods in one observational and two longitudinal cohort studies.
The results showed that about one of five patients reported high levels of PTSS three months after ICU admission, and remained relatively stable at 3, 6, and 12 months. Pre ICU unemployment, reduced functional status, and episodes of agitation during the ICU stay were significantly associated with high PTSS levels. Two latent classes of patient characteristics were particularly associated with PTSS the first year. Patients’ hope levels also remained stable and relatively high throughout the first year. Lower PTSS levels and being employed prior to ICU admission were associated with higher levels of hope.
The thesis suggest that systematic assessment of prior health status, demographics and psychosocial aspects should be integrated into ICU follow up to identify patients at risk of delayed recovery and to support individualized rehabilitation.
Additional information
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