Objectives: Evaluate patients' appraisal of their stay in a medical intensive care unit and analyze their anxiety.
Patients and methods: Two 5-month prospective studies with specific questionnaires were filled out by patients with the help of a psychologist. The first study (61 patients) evaluated global appraisal of the stay and the second study (53 patients) focused on anxiety using questionnaires also filled out by nurses.
Results: The study population was not different from the global population admitted to intensive care during the same period. The patients felt secure in 97% of the cases but suffered pain (53%), insomnia (62%), discomfort due to noise (49%) or light (37%), and expressed anxiety (55%). The second study confirmed the anxiety in 61% of the patients. Using surrogate markers of anxiety, the psychologist judged that anxiety was underestimated in 20% of the cases. In 17%, anxiety was expressed by patients but not felt to be present by nurses.
Discussion: In order to decrease the anxiety of patients admitted to a medical intensive care unit, every effort should be made to lessen pain and unnecessary discomfort. All personnel working in the unit should be able to recognize the patients' anxiety.