“I Didn't Realize How Hard It Was Going to Be Just Transitioning Back into Life”: A Qualitative Exploration of Outcomes for Survivors of Pediatric Septic Shock

Abstract

Recovery following pediatric critical illness is multifaceted and complex. While most critically ill children survive, many experience morbidities in physical, emotional, cognitive, and social function. We aimed to deeply explore and describe the multidimensional impact of pediatric septic shock for affected children and their families at the granular level using exploratory qualitative methodology. We performed semistructured telephone interviews of adolescents and caregivers of children admitted with community-acquired septic shock to two tertiary pediatric intensive care units in the United States. Interviews were conducted within two years of hospital admission, and were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two adolescents and 10 caregivers were interviewed. Participants described meaningful and long-lasting outcomes of septic shock on multiple dimensions of their lives. The adolescents and caregivers described substantial negative consequences on physical health and function which resulted in increased medical complexity and heightened caregiver vigilance. The physical impact led to substantial psychosocial consequences for both the child and family, including social isolation. Most caregivers expressed that septic shock was transformational in their lives, with some caregivers describing posttraumatic growth. This preliminary study provides a novel, granular view of the multidimensional impact of septic shock in pediatric patients and their families. Exploring these experiences through qualitative methodology provides greater insight into important patient and family outcomes. Deeper understanding of these outcomes may support the development of meaningful interventions to improve quality of life for children and their families following critical illness.

Keywords

critical care - pediatric - sepsis - quality of life - outcomes

Previous Presentation

Limited aspects of this manuscript have previously been presented in abstract form at the 2018 Society of Critical Care Medicine Annual Congress.

^* The appendix A is a list of (LAPSE) Investigators.

Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 01. Juli 2021

Angenommen: 04. September 2021

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
22. Oktober 2021

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