Post-intensive care unit syndrome: trends and research foci in a bibliometric analysis

Authors

  • Natália Soares da Silva Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde e Enfermagem, Porto, Portugal. Universidade de Aveiro, Escola Superior de Saúde, Aveiro, Portugal.
  • Paulo Jorge Pereira Alves Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde e Enfermagem, Porto, Portugal. Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde, Lisboa, Portugal.
  • Elsa Maria Oliveira Pinheiro de Melo Universidade de Aveiro, Escola Superior de Saúde, Aveiro, Portugal. Universidade de Aveiro, Unidade de Investigação Instituto de Biomedicina, Aveiro, Portugal.
  • Rafael Alves Bernardes Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Saúde, Lisboa, Portugal. Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde e Enfermagem, Lisboa, Portugal.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.8124.4928

Keywords:

Bibliometrics; Critical Care; Practice Guideline; Quality of Life; Follow-Up Studies; Critical Care Nursing.

Abstract

Objective:   to identify the main areas of focus and trends in research on Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, with an emphasis on patient follow-up after discharge from the Intensive Care Unit. Method:   search conducted on Web of Science from 2012 to November 2024. The Bibliometrix package and BiblioShiny platform in RStudio were used to explore keywords, trends and co-occurrences, journals, authors, co-citations, and collaboration networks. 120 articles on Post-Intensive Care Syndrome in adults were included. Results:   the main keywords include critical illness, quality-of-life, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The most prolific authors are Needham D.M. and Sevin C.M., and the most relevant journals are Critical Care and BMJ Open. The United States leads in publications, followed by the Netherlands and Japan. Conclusion:   most studies address a single component of the syndrome, and comparisons between studies are hampered by the diversity of assessment tools. Greater international collaboration, long-term studies, and randomized controlled clinical trials are needed.

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Published

2026-10-09

Issue

Vol. 34 (2026)

Section

Original Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Silva, N. S. da, Alves, P. J. P., Melo, E. M. O. P. de, & Bernardes, R. A. (2026). Post-intensive care unit syndrome: trends and research foci in a bibliometric analysis. Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 34, e4928. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.8124.4928