Critical illness survivors' experiences of attending an intensive care unit follow-up service: a systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this review is to explore critical illness survivors' experiences of attending an intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up service.

Introduction: A significant proportion of critical illness survivors will require ICU follow-up care to support adverse symptoms in health domains, including cognition, mental health, and physical and social function. While there is consensus on the need for ICU follow-up services, systematic reviews to date have not identified any significant impact of ICU follow-up services on clinical health outcomes. An understanding of survivors' experiences of attending an ICU follow-up service may improve the effectiveness and design of such services.

Inclusion Criteria: This review will include studies that explore the experiences of adult ( 18 years of age) critical illness survivors who attended an ICU follow-up service following discharge from an ICU, regardless of the admitting diagnosis or ICU length of stay.

Methods: This review will be conducted in line with the JBI methodological framework for qualitative systematic reviews. Electronic databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection, will be searched to identify relevant studies for inclusion in the review. Studies will be screened by 2 independent reviewers. Critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis will be completed by 2 independent reviewers using a meta-aggregation method for data synthesis. Confidence in the research findings will be assessed and assigned a ConQual score.

Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42023404585.