ICU Diaries and Its Effects After the Unit Discharge

The Diaries will be filled voluntarily by the professionals who provide the patient care - psychologists, nutritionists, nursing technicians, nurses, physicians and physiotherapists. In addition, the patient's family members who wish to participate and collaborate with the Diaries may ask anyone on the team to assist them. The Diaries will be available at the bedside and may be filled with objective and subjective data on the patient's clinical condition and daily evolution, as well as remarkable events. Examples of entries possibilities are messages, pictures, drawings, photographs, thoughts, sayings, and wishes. Photographic records aim to provide the patient memories of the environment and of his advances in treatment. They will be attached to the Diary only if the patient wishes. The predicted sample is composed of 102 intensive care patients, aged above 18 years old, that require mechanical ventilation and remained in the ICU more than 72 hours. All patients who meet the inclusion criteria will have their Diary drawn up by the team and will be randomized one week after discharge from the ICU. All patients will have their memory assessed at 1 week deadline after critical care discharge, and at this moment, the intervention patients will receive their ICU Diary along with psychological support. One month after the ICU discharge, all the patients will be evaluated by phone and checked in symptoms of depression, anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD). The final assessment of the development of the symptoms will be at the deadline of 3 months.The patients in the control group will be invited to withdraw their Diary after the end of the survey. In case of readmission in the ICU, in a period less than 72h of discharge, the Diary used will be reactivated. In cases of death, the researchers will offer the responsible parent the opportunity to receive the Diary. During this period, the Diaries will be stored by the researchers confidentially, in a previously defined location.