An International Study Exploring the Experience of Survivors of Critical Illness as Volunteers Within ICU Recovery Services

Many clinicians have implemented follow-up and aftercare to support patients following ICU. Some of this care is supported and facilitated by peer volunteers. There is limited contemporary work that has explicitly explored volunteer roles within ICU recovery services or the experience of volunteers undertaking these roles. We sought to explore the experience of survivors of critical illness, as volunteers, involved in ICU recovery services and understand their motivation for undertaking these roles. Design Qualitative exploration using in-depth semistructured interviews. The study design used an inductive content analysis process. We also documented the roles that were adopted by volunteers in each site involved in the study. Setting Patients and caregivers were sampled from seven sites across three continents. Patients and subjects Patients and caregivers who had adopted peer-volunteering roles were undertaken. Interventions None. Measurements and main results Twelve patient and caregiver peer volunteers were interviewed. Four key themes were identified. These themes related to the experience of volunteers within ICU recovery services and their motivation for undertaking these roles: 1) self-belief and acceptance, 2) developing peer support, 3) social roles and a sense of purpose, and 4) giving back. Overwhelmingly, participants were positive about the role of the volunteer in the critical care setting. Conclusions Peer volunteers undertake a variety of roles in ICU recovery services and during recovery more generally. These roles appear to be of direct benefit to those in these roles. Future research is needed to develop these roles and fully understand the potential impact on the service, including the impact on other patients.