Patient dignity in long-term recovery among survivors of acute respiratory failure: A prospective cohort study

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) encompasses physical, psychological, and cognitive impairments following critical illness and affects >50% of acute respiratory failure (ARF) survivors. Preventing and improving PICS has enormous potential to improve survivorship, however, no established therapies address multiple PICS impairment domains.4 In other serious illnesses (e.g., malignancy, dementia), dignity-centered care focused holistically on preserving personhood is associated with improvements in anxiety, depression, existential distress, healthcare-associated distress, and patient-clinician relationships.

To assess the temporal dynamics of dignity among ARF survivors, we conducted a prospective cohort study from June 2022-April 2024 of mechanically ventilated (MV; index MV episode ≥24 hours) adults in four University of Pennsylvania hospitals’ intensive care units (ICUs). We consented patients by telephone within 1 month of ICU discharge and performed telephone follow-ups at 3, 6, and 12 months to prospectively measure dignity and validated PICS domains longitudinally.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Rachel Kohn, Craig Kwiatkowski, Yingying Lu, Taara V Prasad, Erich Dress, Stefania Scott, Michael O Harhay, Rachel A Hadler