The sample in this study comprised patients who had been discharged from a 20 bed, adult general, ICU of 800 bed public teaching hospital in Australia. In 2003-2004 there were 1314 admission. However, due to the tight inclusion, exclusion criteria and the aim of recruiting patients who had been admitted in the previous 2 years, it was thought that the available population would be limited. Therefore, a target number of 50 was chosen as a realistically available sample.
Participants were identified using a patient information database, the ‘Australian Patient Management System’ (APMS). The inclusion criteria used for the search were, patients: greater than 18 years of age (as the research unit is an adult unit); who had been admitted to the ICU for at least 24 h; and sedated and ventilated for at least 12 h but less than 10 days.
In the study setting the majority of patients are admitted short term, with the average length of stay in the years 2002-2003 being 153 h. The sample reflected the characteristics of the short term ICU population during this period.
It was considered that the experiences of patients with prolonged ICU admissions, could be different from that of the general ICU population. Participants were also excluded if they were known to be addicted to alcohol or drugs. In addition patients with disorders that would interfere with communication were excluded. These included permanent tracheostomy, dysphasia and dementia. Patients with disorders that might impair memory or cause confusion were also excluded, these included conditions affecting the central nervous system, drug overdose or pre-existing psychological disorders.
Once suitable potential participants were identified, they were sent a letter of introduction from the medical director of ICU and the researcher inviting participation along with the questionnaire.