Experiences, opinions and expectations of health care providers towards an intensive care unit follow-up clinic: Qualitative study and online survey

Independent of the underlying disease, intensive care unit survivors often suffer from cognitive, physical and mental impairments, also known as post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Specific follow-up services are recommended for these patients. This study aims to capture the perspectives of health care providers on the development of the first intensive care unit follow-up-clinic in Germany. A qualitative study with six focus groups (n = 41) and six expert interviews, followed by a quantitative survey was conducted, involving nine different professions. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics, respectively. Participants described aftercare of former intensive care unit patients as complex and appreciated the idea of an intensive care unit follow-up clinic to improve continuity of care and multidisciplinary collaboration. The favoured model combined diagnostics and targeted referral of patients to specialists and therapists with the provision of information. In the survey, participants disagreed on how to implement this referral system but agreed that assessments should be multidimensional. The necessity of and important criteria for the design of an intensive care unit follow-up clinic were identified. We will integrate these data with further evidence to develop a concept for a complex intervention.