Critical care staff experience high rates of burnout and emotional fatigue due to intense work environments. A systematic review of thirty studies found that meditation-based interventions, especially those combining in-person and app-guided formats, most consistently improved well-being and reduced stress and burnout among doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals in ICUs, EDs, CCUs, and perioperative units. Yoga and aromatherapy also showed benefits, but their use was often limited by space and schedule constraints. Qualitative findings indicated improved emotional regulation and workplace satisfaction, though barriers like work guilt and time constraints remained. The review suggests flexible, scalable mindfulness-based interventions may help mitigate burnout and support workforce sustainability.
Vivid dream experiences are common among intensive care unit (ICU) patients and often carry a negative emotional impact. In a retrospective survey of 80 adults previously admitted to the ICU for at least four days or due to COVID-19, 79% reported dream experiences, with 73% describing them as life-like, 49% associating them with negative emotions, and 54% saying the dreams affected them even after waking. Dream content frequently related to the ICU admission. Younger age and longer ICU stay were linked to vivid dreams. Many participants also experienced delirium or perceptual disturbances, and some had difficulty distinguishing these from dreams. The findings suggest that providing anticipatory support may help patients process these experiences during recovery.
About 15% of intensive care unit survivors report near-death experiences, which involve cognitive, affective, supernatural, and transcendental dimensions. These experiences produce vivid, stable long-term memories and increase spiritual needs, but their effects on psychosocial states and death attitudes vary. The Greyson near-death experience scale is the main assessment tool but has limitations. Understanding near-death experiences requires better assessment tools and integration of neurobiological and psychological frameworks. Identifying and supporting patients with these experiences is important for psychological recovery and long-term prognosis.