Patients' experiences of preparing for transfer from the intensive care unit to a hospital ward: A multicentre qualitative study

Background: The transfer from an intensive care unit (ICU) to a regular ward often causes confusion and stress for patients and family members. However, little is known about the patients' perspective on preparing for the transfer.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe patients' experiences of preparing for transfer from an ICU to a ward.

Study design: Individual interviews with 14 former ICU patients from three urban hospitals in Stockholm, Sweden were conducted 3 months after hospital discharge. Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the interview transcripts. Reporting followed the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist.

Results: The results showed that the three categories, the discharge decision, patient involvement, and practical preparations were central to the patients' experiences of preparing for the transition from the intensive care unit to the ward. The discharge decision was associated with a sense of relief, but also worry about what would happen on the ward. The patients felt that they were not involved in the decision about the discharge or the planning of their health care. To handle the situation, patients needed information about planned care and treatment. However, the information was often sparse, delivered from a clinician's perspective, and therefore not much help in preparing for transfer.

Conclusions: ICU patients experienced that they were neither involved in the process of forthcoming care nor adequately prepared for the transfer to the ward. Relevant and comprehensible information and sufficient time to prepare were needed to reduce stress and promote efficient recovery.

Relevance to clinical practice: The study suggests that current transfer strategies are not optimal, and a more person-centred discharge procedure would be beneficial to support patients and family members in the transition from the ICU to the ward.