Quality of Life of Sepsis Survivors*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the differences between the quality of life for sepsis and nonsepsis survivors, factors affecting the quality of life for sepsis survivors, and their changes over time. DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal study with a quantitative comparative design. SETTING: A university hospital in the greater Tokyo area of Japan. PATIENTS: The study included 41 and 40 patients in the sepsis and nonsepsis groups, respectively. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), independence in activities of daily living (ADL), stress levels, and spirituality were compared between the sepsis and nonsepsis groups at ICU discharge, hospital discharge, and 1 month after discharge. Comparison of HRQOL between the sepsis and nonsepsis groups showed significantly low HRQOL in the sepsis group compared with the nonsepsis group at ICU discharge and hospital discharge. Factors such as stress levels and spirituality affected the HRQOL in the nonsepsis group at ICU discharge. At discharge, stress and spirituality affected HRQOL in both the sepsis and nonsepsis groups. One month after discharge, ADL, stress, and spirituality affected HRQOL in both the sepsis and nonsepsis groups. In terms of changes over time, HRQOL at ICU discharge in the sepsis group was significantly lower than at discharge and 1 month after discharge. The two-way analyses of variance showed no interactions between the groups and time regarding HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: HRQOL of sepsis survivors was significantly lower than that of nonsepsis survivors. ADL and stress influenced HRQOL. The study suggests the importance of ADL training and stress alleviation during the ICU stay.