Introduction:

Quality of life (QOL) of patients discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) is affected by the procedures performed, and the sequelae and comorbidities associated with their etiology at the time of admission.

Objective:

To determine health-related QOL after discharge from an ICU between 2014 and 2016.

Methods:

Cross-sectional observational study that included patients over 50 years of age with a length of stay of more than 48 hours in an ICU. Demographic data were obtained from the clinical records, and an EQ-5D-3L survey was conducted by telephone. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 21 software package.

Results:

Total mortality was 33.6%, and of these cases, 61.7% occurred within the first 6 months after discharge. Average total EQ-5D-3L results, where 0 is the worst result and 1 is the best in terms of QOL, was 0.65 and the most affected dimension was pain/ discomfort. On the analog quality-of-life scale, the total average was 69.05%.

Conclusion:

QOL is impacted negatively following discharge from the ICU, especially in patients over 80 years of age. The most affected dimensions are pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Moreover, more than 1/3 of patients die within the first 6 months after discharge.

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