Reported burden on informal caregivers of ICU survivors: a literature review

Table 3 Summary of main findings of the reported burden

Type of burden	Time of measurement	Reported outcomes
Anxiety^a	During admission	42–80 %
	3 months	24–63 %
	6 months	15–24 %
Depression	During admission	16–90 %
	3 months	12–26 %
	6 months	5–36 %
	12 months	23–44 %
Post-traumatic stress disorder	During admission	57 %
	3 months	30–42 %
	6 months	35–57 %
	12 months	32–80 %
Employment status	Up to 50 % of the informal caregivers reduced their work hours, quit their job or were fired in order to provide informal care
Health-related quality of life	Major decreases in mental health, limited changes in physical health
Use of medication	Between 8 % and 32 % of informal caregivers started to use medications after the ICU admittance of their relative
Lifestyle interference	Up to 12 months after discharge, almost 50 % of informal caregivers had to quit activities in order to take care of the patient

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