Introduction: Critical health condition affects a patient's whole body, mind, and soul. Psychological and mental factors have a significant impact on the final results of treatment with patients suffering from severe physical trauma. Once in intensive care units, patients have to deal with different stressors, anxiety, undermined dignity, and memory lapses. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to research and present patient's memories about experiencing stress, how their dignity was maintained and other experiences patients had had while undergoing treatment in intensive care units. Methods: We reviewed several sources of domestic and foreign literature by searching for academic articles through COBIB.SI library catalogue and Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana web portal, as well as the CINHAL, Medline, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library international databases. Furthermore, we consulted relevant scientific journals that we found in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana' library. For the needs of this research, we have included 11 scientific articles, the quality of which was determined based on the evidence hierarchy. Results: The greatest stressors for patients are pain, not being able to sleep, having tubes in your nose and mouth, being unable to fulfill family roles and financial worries. Patients in intensive care units frequently experience helplessness, interdependence, humiliation, and consequently, the feeling of undermined dignity. What hurts a patient's dignity is the inability to communicate and express their needs and desires, lack of privacy and respect, and the dehumanizing treatment that they receive. Patients' memories of hospitalization are mostly unpleasant, but there is a lot of pleasant ones as well. The remaining, smaller parts of their recollection, consists of unclear and vague memories. Discussion and conclusion: Providing psychosocial support and dignified treatment of patients are key nurses' roles and a prerequisite for successful treatment. Nurses need to be well aware of all the different stressors that might affect critical ill patients, as well as the danger of undermining their dignity. They should generally seek to make patient's treatment at intensive care units a pleasant experience. The use of journals during intensive treatment would be reasonable and applicable also in Slovene practice to raise awareness and improve satisfaction among patients, which would result in a decrease in mental health problems after hospital discharge.
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