Impact of clinical and quality of life outcomes of long-stay ICU survivors recovering from rehabilitation on caregivers’ Burden

BACKGROUND: The objective of this work was to evaluate the time course of clinical and healthrelated quality of life outcomes of long-stay ICU survivors’ and caregivers’ burden. METHODS: The study included 23 subjects of mixed diagnosis (66 ± 11 y, body mass index 26.5 ± 5.6 kg/m²) with a recent episode of acute respiratory failure needing in-hospital rehabilitation. Subjects and caregivers were evaluated at hospital discharge (T0, n = 23) and 6 months later (T6, n ± 16). At T0 and T6, subjects’ clinical status (Dependence Nursing Scale), FVC (percent-of-predicted FVC and percent-of-predicted FEV), maximum inspiratory/expiratory pressures, effort tolerance (sitto- stand, Takahashi test, 6-min walking distance), and disability (Barthel index) were evaluated. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), McGill Quality of Life, General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-A/HADS-D) were assessed. Caregivers’ burden was measured by the Family Strain Questionnaire short form and Caregiver Needs Assessment. Correlation between subjects’ clinical status and caregiver assessments was performed at T0. RESULTS: At T0, subjects showed compromised EQ-5D_index (0.42 ± 0.28); 69% of caregivers had high Family Strain Questionnaire and moderate Caregiver Needs Assessment scores (30 ± 13). EQ-5D_index was significantly related to Dependence Nursing Scale score (P index (P