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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

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.

Video Interview

TRANSCRIPT

I : How were you involved in the decisions? E : Well, the surgeon who took care of me—I can mention her name because she was wonderful. She was wonderful because she came to see me every day, sometimes even several times a day, and she always took the time to explain things to me. The head of intensive care was also very helpful. He was always very clear, always explaining how they were going to proceed, what to expect, what was going to happen. And in the end, yes, I felt like they were asking for my opinion, but at the same time, I felt like I wasn't competent. So at that point, I saw the medical staff in intensive care, and only them, as the only people capable of making decisions about me because it was completely beyond me. I : But did you feel that you were involved in the decision? E : Yes, always.

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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