RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Diaries are written for patients on intensive care units (ICU) by clinicians and relatives to reduce the risk of psychological complications such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. The authors of a Cochrane Review on this topic published in 2015, included studies with PTSD diagnoses based on interviews carried out by qualified personnel, and concluded that there is inadequate evidence to support the thesis that ICU diaries reduce the risk of psychological complications. METHODS: The present study replicated the design of the Cochrane Review with identical search algorithms, but included additional outcomes data from validated methods of diagnosing psychological complications that were not considered in the original Cochrane Review. The primary outcome was PTSD in patients or relatives with ICU diaries. Secondary outcomes were anxiety and/or depression symptoms. Study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment. RESULTS: The replicated search produced 3179 citations, of which there were 6 eligible studies from which 605 patients and 145 relatives could be included in the meta-analysis. Studies ratings ranged from low to good. The meta-analyses of the PTSD outcome demonstrated the following: (a) for ICU patients (4 studies, nâ¯= 569 patients) a non-significant reduction (odds ratio [OR] 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-1.42, pâ¯= 0.23), and (b) for relatives' PTSD (2 studies, nâ¯= 145 relatives) a significant reduction (OR 0.17, 95%CI: 0.08-0.38, pâ¯< 0.0001). The symptoms anxiety and depression in ICU patients (2 studies each, nâ¯= 88 patients) were significantly reduced (OR 0.23, 95%CI: 0.07-0.77, pâ¯= 0.02; OR 0.27, 95%CI: 0.09-0.77, pâ¯= 0.01, respectively). Heterogeneity was between 0 and 54%. CONCLUSION: ICU diaries may reduce the risk of psychological complications in patients and relatives after ICU stays.