Never ending stories: Visual diarizing to recreate autobiographical memory of intensive care unit survivors

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of visual diarizing to enable intensive care unit (ICU) survivors to create their story of recovery. Background: An ICU experience can have deleterious psychological and physical effects on survivors leading to reductions in quality of life which for some may be of significant duration. Although there has been exploration of many interventions to support recovery in this group, service provision for survivors remains inconsistent and inadequate. Design and participants: A qualitative interpretive biographical exploration of the ICU experience and recovery phase of ICU survivors using visual diarizing as method. This paper is a component of a larger study and presents an analyses of one participant’s visual diary in detail. Methods: Data collection was twofold. The participant was supplied with visual diary materials at 2 months post-hospital discharge and depicted his story in words and pictures for a 3-month period, after which he was interviewed. The interview enabled the participant and researcher to interpret the visual diary and create a biographical account of his ICU stay and recovery journey. Findings: The analysis of one participant’s visual diary yielded a wealth of information about his recovery trajectory articulated through the images he chose to symbolize his story. The participant confirmed feelings of persecution whilst in ICU and was unprepared for the physical and psychological disability which ensued following his discharge from hospital. However, his story was one of hope for the future and a determination that good would come out of his experience. He considered using the visual diary enhanced his recovery. Conclusions: The participant perceived that visual diarizing enhanced his recovery trajectory by enabling him to recreate his story using visual imagery in a prospective diary. Relevance to clinical practice: Prospective visual diarizing with ICU survivors may have potential as an aid to recovery

The use, prevalence and potential benefits of a diary as a therapeutic intervention/tool to aid recovery following critical illness in intensive care: A literature review

Aims and objectives. To critically appraise the available literature and summarise the evidence related to the use, prevalence, purpose and potential therapeutic benefits of intensive care unit diaries following survivors’ discharge from hospital and identify areas for future exploration. Background. Intensive care unit survivorship is increasing as are associated physical and psychological complications. These complications can impact on the quality of life of survivors and their families. Rehabilitation services for survivors have been sporadically implemented and lack an evidence base. Patient diaries in intensive care have been implemented in Scandinavia and Europe with the intention of filling memory gaps, enable survivors to set realistic recovery goals and cement their experiences in reality. Design. A review of original research articles. Methods. The review used key terms and Boolean operators across a 34-year time frame in: CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, Proquest, Informit and Google Scholar for research reports pertaining to the area of enquiry. Twenty-two original research articles met the inclusion criteria for this review. Results. The review concluded that diaries are prevalent in Scandinavia and parts of Europe but not elsewhere. The implementation and ongoing use of diaries is disparate and international guidelines to clarify this have been proposed. Evidence which demonstrates the potential of diaries in the reduction of the psychological complications following intensive care has recently emerged. Results from this review will inform future research in this area. Conclusions. Further investigation is warranted to explore the potential benefits of diaries for survivors and improve the evidence base which is currently insufficient to inform practice. The exploration of prospective diarising in the recovery period for survivors is also justified. Relevance to clinical practice. Intensive care diaries are a cost effective intervention which may yield significant benefits to survivors

Surviving ICU: Stories of recovery

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate stories of recovery through the lens of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Background: Survival from ICUs is increasing, as are associated physical and psychological complications. Despite the significant impact on survivors, there is inadequate support provision in Australia and world-wide for this population. Design: An interpretive biographical approach of intensive care survivors’ experiences of recovery. Methods: Data were collected during 2014–2015 from diaries, face to face interviews, memos and field notes. Six participants diarized for 3 months commencing 2 months after hospital discharge. At 5 months, participants were interviewed about the content of their diaries and symbols and signifiers in them to create a shared meaning. Analysis of diaries and interviews were undertaken using two frameworks to identify themes throughout participants’ stories and provides a unique portrait of recovery through their individual lens. Findings: Participants considered their lives had irreparably changed and yet felt unsupported by a healthcare system that had “saved” them. This view through their lens identified turmoil, which existed between their surface and inner worlds as they struggled to conform to what recovery “should be”. Conclusion: The novel biographical methods provided a safe and creative way to reveal survivors’ inner thoughts and feelings. Participants’ considered creating their stories supported their recovery process and in particular enabled them to reflect on their progress. Findings from this study may lead to increased awareness among health care providers about problems survivors face and improved support services more broadly, based on frameworks appropriate for this population. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Lt

Routine vaginal examination to check for a nuchal cord

Many midwives routinely perform a vaginal examination during birth to check for the nuchal cord. Such an invasive procedure would only be consistent with midwifery philosophy if it was common to find a nuchal cord so tight that the only alternative is to cut in order to allow the birth of the baby. A tight nuchal cord, however, seems to be rare. So how did it happen that the invasive procedure of checking for the nuchal cord vaginally became a ritualized practice in contemporary midwifery? The historical literature on the significance of finding a nuchal cord is reviewed in this article. Checking for the nuchal cord has been advocated by medical textbooks. The call to make this procedure routine for all women was not made in medical texts until the late 17th century onwards. Through an exploration of the historical origins of the procedure it is demonstrated that the arguments used act as a model for the way in which all aspects of birth have been medicalized through fear. It is hypothesized that when the midwife avoids routine invasive checking for the cord and instead makes individual clinical decisions for each particular woman and baby this may be a marker of her willingness to practice as an autonomous decision maker and not just of follower of ritual

Implications for research and practice of the biographic approach for storytelling

Background Intensive care unit survivors face many physical and psychological difficulties during their recovery following discharge from hospital. These difficulties can significantly affect their quality of life. Healthcare providers and survivors’ families often do not understand what recovery means in this population, which may affect the support provided. Aim To consider the potential of the biographical method in helping to create stories that illustrate recovery in intensive care survivors and other populations. Discussion This paper identifies how the biographical approach has provided survivors with a way to uncover the hidden parts of their lives through diaries and interviews, and reveal the hidden stories of intensive care survivorship and recovery. Conclusion The application of the biographical method enabled stories to be created that identified the disruption survivors encounter as they struggle to appear recovered. Implications for practice The biographical method can illuminate experiences uncaptured by other methods. This insight into recovery journeys can help healthcare practitioners and family members to understand and recognise the need for support during recovery

A review of the literature : midwifery decision-making and birth

Clinical decision-making was initially studied in medicine where hypothetico-deductive reasoning is the model for decision-making. The nursing perspective on clinical decision-making has largely been shaped by Patricia Benner’s ground breaking work. Benner claimed expert nurses use humanistic-intuitive ways of making clinical decisions rather than the ‘rational reasoning’ as claimed by medicine. Clinical decision-making in midwifery is not the same as either nursing or medical decision-making because of the woman—midwife partnership where the woman is the ultimate decision-maker. CINHAL, Medline and Cochrane databases were systematically searched using key words derived from the guiding question. A review of the decision-making research literature in midwifery was undertaken where studies were published in English.The selection criteria for papers were: only research papers of direct relevance to the guiding research question were included in the review. Decision-making is under-researched in midwifery and more specifically birth, as only 4 research articles met the inclusion criteria in this review. Three of the studies involved qualified midwives, and one involved student midwives. Two studies were undertaken in England, one in Scotland and one in Sweden. The major findings synthesised from this review, are that; (1) midwifery decision-making during birth is socially negotiated involving hierarchies of surveillance and control; (2) the role of the woman in shared decision-making during birth has not been explored by midwifery research; (3) clinical decision-making encompasses clinical reasoning as essential but not sufficient for midwives to actually implement their preferred decision. We argue that existing research does not inform the discipline of the complexity of midwifery clinical decision-making during birth. A well-designed study would involve investigating the clinical reasoning skills of the midwife, her relationship with the woman, the context of the particular birthing unit and the employment status of the midwife. The role of the woman as decision-maker in her own care during birth also needs careful research attention

A web-based recovery program (ICUTogether) for intensive care survivors: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Those who experience a critical illness or condition requiring admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) frequently experience physical and psychological complications as a direct result of their critical illness or condition and ICU experience. Complications, if left untreated, can affect the quality of life of survivors and impact health care resources. Explorations of potential interventions to reduce the negative impact of an ICU experience have failed to establish an evidence-based intervention. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a Web-based intensive care recovery program on the mental well-being of intensive care survivors and to determine if it is a cost-effective approach. Methods: In total, 162 patients that survived an ICU experience will be recruited and randomized into 1 of 2 groups. The intervention group will receive access to the Web-based intensive care recovery program, ICUTogether, 2 weeks after discharge (n=81), and the control group will receive usual care (n=81). Mental well-being will be measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, The Impact of Events Scale-Revised and the 5-level 5-dimension EuroQoL at 3 time points (2 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months post discharge). Family support will be measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support at 3 time points. Analysis will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis using regression modeling. Covariates will include baseline outcome measures, study allocation (intervention or control), age, gender, length of ICU stay, APACHE III score, level of family support, and hospital readmissions. Participants’ evaluation of the mobile website will be sought at 12 months postdischarge. A cost utility analysis conducted at 12 months from a societal perspective will consider costs incurred by individuals as well as health care providers. Results: Participant recruitment is currently underway. Recruitment is anticipated to be completed by December 2020. Conclusions: This study will evaluate a novel intervention in a group of ICU survivors. The findings from this study will inform a larger study and wider debate about an appropriate intervention in this population