Quality of life after major trauma: The experience of a 24 hours open Intensive Care Unit

Several studies report that patients who need Intensive Care Unit (ICU) treatment may experience psychological distress. Among critically ill patients, admission to ICU due to major trauma may represent an additional risk factor due to the acute stressful trauma experience. After 2008, the Intensive Care Unit of Emergency Department (Careggi Teaching Hospital, Florence, IT) passed from an open bay to a single room design, with the possibility to organized an open access (24 hours/day) for patient&s;s relatives. Here we report the impact on quality of life in major trauma patients discharged after 2008 (intervention group) in comparison with an historical group.