BACKGROUND

Survival and functional independence level impacts on quality of life of persons discharged from intensive care units and affects significantly their reinsertion to society.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the survival and the level of functional independence in patients after discharge from an intensive care unit.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A retrospective and descriptive study conducted on patients who discharged from an intensive care unit in Boyacá, Colombia, from August 2015 to August 2016. Telephone follow-up was performed through the application of an instrument based on the NOC nursing outcomes criteria.

RESULTS

186 people survived, with a mortality of 31% within the next 38 days after discharge. The metabolic alterations, infectious and cardiovascular diseases were the main causes of morbidity and mortality; about the level of independence, the findings showed that 7% were still dependent, 20% needed assistance to carry out activities of daily living and 73% were independent.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a survival of 69% of the patients treated in the intensive care unit within the following month of discharge, of which 73% present a significant degree of independence.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )