Evaluation of Respiratory Intensive Care Experiences and Relationships with Nutritional Status Among Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate patients’ experiences in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting and to investigate whether there was a correlation between these experiences and their nutritional status. Methods: The study included patients admitted to the pulmonary medicine ICU between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Only patients aged 18 years or older were eligible for inclusion. Written and verbal consent was obtained from all participants, while those unable to provide nonverbal communication were excluded from the study. The Intensive Care Experience Questionnaire (ICEQ), developed by Rattray et al. in 2004, was utilized to assess the overall experiences of ICU patients. Results: The ICEQ results were analyzed across four categories: awareness of surroundings, recall of experiences, frightening experiences, and satisfaction with care. A total score was generated by summing the scores of these four categories. While the initial parameters were analyzed as ordinal data, the results for the four subcategories and the total score followed a parametric distribution and were thus analyzed accordingly. Conclusion: The findings reinforce the hypothesis that nutritional support requirements play a critical role in shaping patients’ experiences in the ICU, regardless of their pre-admission status. Adequate nutritional support was shown to have a positive impact on ICU experiences.