ABSTRACT
Introduction: Admission to intensive care is a life changing event for people which can result in long term detriments to health, function and quality of life.1 Extensive literature exists and guidelines have been written supporting rehabilitation for these patients.2 More qualitative data is also being carried out on patients' perspectives of rehabilitation in intensive care. This has highlighted 'the noxious cycle of ICU' where patients describe fatigue, boredom and lack of concentration.3 Family presence in intensive care can improve a patient's recovery.4 The COVID-19 pandemic has led to more isolation for patients due to visiting restrictions. Partaking in creative activities is known to have many benefits for long stay hospital patients and can have positive impacts on their recovery.5 This led us to the development of a leisure activity trolley with the focus on enhancing well-being in long stay patients. Objectives: The aim of this project is to enhance wellbeing in intensive care patients. This was done by supporting patients to engage with leisure activities. Methods: A mixed methods questionnaire was used to collect data from four long stay patients. This data was used to gauge patients' interests in participating in leisure actives and identify what equipment would be enjoyed. An application to the hospital patient amenities fund was made and funding was secured to purchase a variety of items based on the results of this questionnaire. All long stay patients throughout the hospital including ITU and step down who were awake and medically stable were invited to participate. Patients were given a preactivity questionnaire to gather information on their usual interests and rate their current mood using a Likert scale. This informed us to make suggestions on what they may enjoy. We also provided them with our 'mindfulness menu' to select what they'd like to do. Patients were then set up with their selected activities and given the option to engage alone or in the company of a therapist (see Image 1). A post-activity questionnaire was completed to explore if patients enjoyed the activity. Patient mood following activity was also re-collected using a Likert scale. Patients could continue to partake in the activities chosen, try new ones, or cease to partake all together. Post activity questionnaires were completed after each session. Results: 37 different patients were approached on 96 occasions. They chose to engage in activities on 87/96 (90%) of occasions (see Table 1 for activities). On average, patients' moods improved from a Likhert score of 4.6/10 to 7.2/10, a 36% increase, following participation in a leisure activity. Patient satisfaction with activities offered on initial assessment and on discharge also improved. From this small sample size, patient's well-being was enhanced by participation in leisure activities. Conclusion: Overall, we have found this project to be successful thus far in improving well-being for intensive care patients. We plan to continue to offer these activities for our patients and hope it continues to improve patient wellbeing and recovery.