Benefits of Peer Support for Intensive Care Unit Survivors: Sharing Experiences, Care Debriefing, and Altruism

Joanne McPeake; Theodore J Iwashyna; Leanne M Boehm; Elizabeth Hibbert; Rita N Bakhru; Anthony J Bastin; Brad W Butcher; Tammy L Eaton; Wendy Harris; Aluko A Hope; James Jackson; Annie Johnson; Janet A Kloos; Karen A Korzick; Joel Meyer; Ashley Montgomery-Yates; Mark E Mikkelsen; Andrew Slack; Dorothy Wade; Mary Still; Giora Netzer; Ramona O Hopkins; Tara Quasim; Carla M Sevin; Kimberley J Haines

doi:10.4037/ajcc2021702

Benefits of Peer Support for Intensive Care Unit Survivors: Sharing Experiences, Care Debriefing, and Altruism

Am J Crit Care. 2021 Mar 1;30(2):145-149. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2021702.

Authors

Joanne McPeake¹, Theodore J Iwashyna², Leanne M Boehm³, Elizabeth Hibbert⁴, Rita N Bakhru⁵, Anthony J Bastin⁶, Brad W Butcher⁷, Tammy L Eaton⁸, Wendy Harris⁹, Aluko A Hope¹⁰, James Jackson¹¹, Annie Johnson¹², Janet A Kloos¹³, Karen A Korzick¹⁴, Joel Meyer¹⁵, Ashley Montgomery-Yates¹⁶, Mark E Mikkelsen¹⁷, Andrew Slack¹⁸, Dorothy Wade¹⁹, Mary Still²⁰, Giora Netzer²¹, Ramona O Hopkins²², Tara Quasim²³, Carla M Sevin²⁴, Kimberley J Haines²⁵

Affiliations

¹ Joanne McPeake is a nurse consultant, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Scotland, United Kingdom and an honorary senior clinical lecturer, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, and a research fellow, THIS Institute, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
² Theodore J. Iwashyna is a professor of internal medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a research scientist, Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Michigan.
³ Leanne M. Boehm is an assistant professor, School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
⁴ Elizabeth Hibbert is a physiotherapist, Department of Physiotherapy, Western Health, Melbourne, Australia.
⁵ Rita N. Bakhru is an assistant professor, Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
⁶ Anthony J. Bastin is a consultant in critical care, Department of Perioperative Medicine, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom.
⁷ Brad W. Butcher is an assistant professor, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pennsylvania.
⁸ Tammy L. Eaton is a PhD candidate, University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, and a founder of the Critical Illness Recovery Center at UPMC Mercy.
⁹ Wendy Harris is a senior nurse, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
¹⁰ Aluko A. Hope is an associate professor, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
¹¹ James Jackson is a research professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
¹² Annie Johnson is a nurse practitioner, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
¹³ Janet A. Kloos is a clinical nurse specialist, Department of Acute and Critical Care Nursing, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Ohio.
¹⁴ Karen A. Korzick is codirector of critical care medicine and medical director, ICU Survivor Clinic, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania.
¹⁵ Joel Meyer is critical care consultants, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
¹⁶ Ashley Montgomery-Yates is an associate professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
¹⁷ Mark E. Mikkelsen is an associate professor, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
¹⁸ Andrew Slack is a critical care consultant, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
¹⁹ Dorothy Wade is principal health psychologist, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
²⁰ Mary Still is a clinical nurse specialist in critical care, Emory University Hospital (Emory Healthcare), Atlanta, Georgia.
²¹ Giora Netzer is a professor of medicine and epidemiology, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Maryland School of Medicine, and vice president of patient experience, University of Maryland Medical Center.
²² Ramona O. Hopkins is a senior research associate, Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, Utah; a founding member, Center for Humanizing Critical Care, Intermountain Health Care, Murray, Utah, and a professor, Psychology Department and Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
²³ Tara Quasim is a critical care consultant, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and a senior clinical lecturer, University of Glasgow.
²⁴ Carla M. Sevin is an associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
²⁵ Kimberley J. Haines is physiotherapy lead and senior ICU physiotherapist, Department of Physiotherapy, Western Health, Sunshine Hospital, St Albans, Australia and an associate professor, Centre for Integrated Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Abstract

Background: After critical illness, patients are often left with impairments in physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Peer support interventions have been implemented internationally to ameliorate these issues.

Objective: To explore what patients believed to be the key mechanisms of effectiveness of peer support programs implemented during critical care recovery.

Methods: In a secondary analysis of an international qualitative data set, 66 telephone interviews with patients were undertaken across 14 sites in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to understand the effect of peer support during recovery from critical illness. Prevalent themes were documented with framework analysis.

Results: Most patients who had been involved in peer support programs reported benefit. Patients described 3 primary mechanisms: (1) sharing experiences, (2) care debriefing, and (3) altruism.

Conclusion: Peer support is a relatively simple intervention that could be implemented to support patients during recovery from critical illness. However, more research is required into how these programs can be implemented in a safe and sustainable way in clinical practice.

Publication types

Multicenter Study
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Altruism*
Australia
Critical Illness
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Peer Group*
Qualitative Research
Social Support*
Survivors*
United Kingdom
United States

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding