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Anna A.

Ms Anna A. never thought that her elective surgery would go so badly that she would have to go through another emergency operation and end up intubated in an artificial coma in ICU. She could have died. She also felt a discomfort in using all these sophisticated and expensive ICU health services when the surgical procedure she had agreed to do was originally a simple intervention.

VIDEO

Mrs. Anna A. remembers the noise, the lights, the fatigue and her helplessness.

Ms Anna A. was very tired during her stay in the intensive care unit. She was particularly disturbed by the noise and the light, but she also received a lot of care from the nursing staff.

Video Interview

TRANSCRIPT

So I remember the time that passed at first very slowly, an immense tiredness, the impression of not understanding what was happening to me. And then the noise, the light that was very strong. And at the beginning, too, when I was under morphine, well, that was unpleasant for me because I started having hallucinations and I couldn't stand that.And then the fact of lying in bed all the time and then (almost) not being able to move, that was difficult. I: Do you have a more specific, practical example where you felt that way? E:Yes, already the fact that I had to be washed, for example, completely, or, that's it, I couldn't get up. So I was in bed and the nurses had to wash me. That was a bit difficult; well, they did it very well, it was admirable and they really did everything to not make me feel indebted or whatever; well, very well, but for me it was difficult. And the other thing that was also difficult was the heat and the thirst. So I couldn't drink, I was thirsty, that was difficult. And the heat, I was always hot.

Other experiences by Anna A.

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Anna A.

Ms Anna A. never thought that her elective surgery would go so badly that she would have to go through another emergency operation and end up intubated in an artificial coma in ICU. She could have died. She also felt a discomfort in using all these sophisticated and expensive ICU health services when the surgical procedure she had agreed to do was originally a simple intervention.

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Anna A.

Mrs. Anna A. remembers the noise, the lights, the fatigue and her helplessness.

Ms Anna A. was very tired during her stay in the intensive care unit. She was particularly disturbed by the noise and the light, but she also received a lot of care from the nursing staff.

General perception / overview of the intensive care

Experiences in Intensive Care

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Anna A.

Mrs. Anna A talks about her hallucinations.

Mrs. Anna A was aware that she was hallucinating and was trying to maintain a sense of reality.

State of consciousness and memory issues

Experiences in Intensive Care

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Anna A.

Ms. Anna A. later learns from her doctor that she has been intubated.

Ms. Anna A. learns that she has been intubated when the physician tells her in an explanatory conversation 6 months after her discharge from the intensive care unit.

State of consciousness and memory issues

Experiences in Intensive Care

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Anna A.

Fear of being a burden

Although Mrs. Anna A. could no longer move without assistance, she felt guilty and did not want to disturb the team.

Good to know to improve intensive care unit (ICU) patient experience

Experiences in Intensive Care

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Anna A.

Uncomfortable in front of someone who recognizes her

Mrs. Anna A. recalls that her state of dependence had made her uncomfortable when she recognized in the doctor an old friend of her son.

Good to know to improve intensive care unit (ICU) patient experience

Experiences in Intensive Care

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Anna A.

Patient empowerment

Mrs. Anna A. was involved in all the decisions that affected her, but she also recognises her incompetence at this level and the difficulty of making a counter-proposal.

Good to know to improve intensive care unit (ICU) patient experience

Experiences in Intensive Care

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Anna A.

Trust creates co-operation

Mrs. Anna A. trusted the clinical team and did what she was told, even when it was difficult.

Good to know to improve intensive care unit (ICU) patient experience

Experiences in Intensive Care

View all experiences

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