ABSTRACT
To assess the prevalence of and risk factors for postintensive care syndrome in family (PICS-F) in the COVID-19 era. DESIGN: A single-center retrospective study using questionnaires and telephone calls. SETTING: An ICU at St. Luke's International Hospital. PATIENTS: Patients who were treated for COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome between March 23, 2020, and September 30, 2021, and their family members participated. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: PICS-F refers to the psychologic distress such as anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced by the patient's family. The primary outcome was PICS-F occurrence. Furthermore, factors related to PICS-F development were identified using statistical analysis. Of 85 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU, 57 family members consented to the study and completed the survey, and 54 family members' data were analyzed. The median age of family members was 53.5 years, 68.5% were female, and 46.3% were spouses. The median age of patients was 55.5 years, and 83.3% were male. During their ICU stay, 68.5% received invasive mechanical ventilation, 11.1% received venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 11.1% underwent tracheostomy. The median ICU and hospital stays were 7 and 22 days, respectively. Overall PICS-F occurred in 33%. Anxiety, depression, and PTSD occurred in 24%, 26%, and 4% of family members, respectively. The prevalence of all three components of PICS-F was 4%. Multivariable analysis showed that Family Satisfaction with the ICU Survey (FS-ICU) scores were independently associated with PICS-F development (odds ratio, 0.941; 95% CI, 0.891-0.983; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: One-third of family members of COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU had symptoms of PICS-F. These results suggest that measurement of FS-ICU may be helpful as a predictor of PICS-F development. In addition, increasing the level of ICU care satisfaction of the family members may prevent PICS-F.