An admission to intensive care is rarely planned. The idea of “passing through” already says something about this place: to pass through is the opposite of staying; it offers little sense of what comes next and simply bears witness to having been there at a particular moment. Intensive care units are therefore places of transition—sometimes for an extremely short time, sometimes for much longer: the time needed to restore the vital functions required for survival, or to accompany a patient towards the end of life.

For both the patient and those close to them, this experience may leave lasting memories, sensations and emotions.

Time may also be experienced very differently by the patient and by their family. For patients, time does not move at the same pace as it does for relatives or healthcare professionals. It can become blurred by cycles of waking and sleeping and by the return of sensory impressions, gradually allowing psychological experience to be reorganised.

For families, time is often shaped by anxiety: the helplessness of being unable to act, the distress of waiting, and the ever-present possibility of death.

Whatever the outcome, this experience can be traumatic for both the patient and their family. In the best circumstances, the trauma gradually becomes easier to process over time. In some cases, however, it may develop into post-traumatic stress disorder or post-intensive care syndrome (PICS/PICS-F).

This is why it is important to support both patients and their families, helping to prevent or lessen trauma and, wherever possible, promote a return to everyday life.