Patient support groups: A survey of United Kingdom practice, purpose and performance.

Background: Critical care survivors face physical, psychological and socio-economic burdens. Peer support is acknowledged as a way individuals can face, accept and overcome the challenges arising from a stressful event. We sought to examine the provision and benefits of peer support to critical care survivors in the UK.

Method: We distributed a survey, devised by the patients and relatives committee of the Intensive Care Society and ICUsteps, to contacts in 163 UK Trusts/hospitals with critical care departments. The benefit to individuals was assessed by seeking the views of attendees of two support groups.

Results: A response was received from 91 (56%) of the critical care departments. Of these, 46 (48% of respondents) have patient support groups. Our analysis of comments from 30 people is that support groups greatly benefit service users and staff.

Conclusions: Attendees of patient support groups gave highly positive comments about the service yet provision of patient support groups in the UK is not universal.

Recommendations: We make a series of recommendations for consideration by UK health care providers.