Intensive care during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The overall aim of this project is to generate knowledge about experiences of intensive care among patients with covid-19 and how these experiences affect people’s daily lives, from the perspectives of those who were critically ill, their next of kin and healthcare professionals.

When covid-19 reached northern Sweden, an operating theatre at one of the county’s hospitals was converted to provide intensive care for patients with covid-19. This intensive care unit (ICU) was staffed by healthcare professionals from across the county. Staff from all the county’s hospitals, as well as from other services, were recruited to the unit. For many, this meant working not only in a new and unfamiliar situation involving an unknown virus, but also in a new workplace while wearing personal protective equipment. In addition, high demands were placed on the care team, which largely consisted of new colleagues, many of whom required introduction to the work. Patients treated in the covid-19 ICU were generally mechanically ventilated for extended periods, deeply sedated and given neuromuscular blocking agents, all of which affect recovery after intensive care.

Next of kin are of great importance to the patient and have their own needs for support and information. During the pandemic, relatives were generally unable to visit patients due to visiting restrictions. They remained at home, isolated, waiting for updates about the patient’s condition.

The overall aim of the project was to generate knowledge about experiences of intensive care among patients with covid-19 and how these experiences affect daily life, from the perspectives of those who were critically ill, their next of kin and healthcare professionals. The project also includes a collaborative study with Karlstad University and Region Värmland, focusing on learning, person-centred care and moral distress among specialist nursing students in intensive care who undertook clinical placements during the pandemic, intensive care nurses who supervised students and introduced new staff during the pandemic, as well as the experiences of their managers and clinical leaders.

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