Grant: Project Grant

Surviving a life-threatening illness in the intensive care unit (ICU) is just the beginning of a long and difficult recovery. Many ICU survivors face new or worsening health problems when home, making daily life difficult and greatly impacting quality of life. At the same time, family members often become caregivers, leading to their own physical and mental health struggles. Unfortunately, ICU survivors and caregivers often feel isolated, lacking the necessary support and resources, and there is limited awareness of recovery challenges. Our team's prior piloting of a Peer-Facilitated Online Group Photovoice workshop with ICU survivors suggests this format facilitates emotional healing and connection with others, and creates authentic portrayals of recovery. Further, photovoice exhibits can empower people to share their experiences, potentially raising awareness and influencing social change. This research aims to 1) assess the impact of photovoice workshops on participants' emotional and social well-being, 2) document the realities of recovery from critical illness through the photos and stories of ICU survivors and their caregivers, and 3) create a virtual photo exhibit to promote awareness of critical illness recovery. In this 3-year, patient-oriented research, we will deliver Peer-Facilitate Online Group photovoice workshops to ICU survivors and family caregivers. Each participant will generate and discuss photographs and narratives of their personal experiences with peers over 5 weeks. We will use qualitative methods to analyze participants' accounts of the therapeutic influences of workshop participation and their recovery experiences as depicted in photographs and discussed with peers. We will then utilize study findings to co-create a virtual exhibit with patient partners. Our ultimate goal is to lay the foundation for further work that eases the profound and long-term psychosocial burden of critical illness recovery.