ICU nurses reported that the Post-ICU diary had added value for patients and their relatives. However, in the beginning they also experienced barriers such as lack of time, insufficient integration with their own work processes, and challenges regarding writing short messages themselves.

For structural embedding of the intervention, tailored strategies are needed to support ICU nurses in using this innovative Post-ICU diary.

Participants from three hospitals (n = 14), 57% of whom were women, with a mean age of 40.6 years, described their experiences with the Post-ICU diary.

The following themes emerged: implementation process, COVID-19, integration, and motivation.

The results showed that ICU nurses perceived the Post-ICU diary to be applicable in daily care and endorsed the added value of the digital Post-ICU diary as a new opportunity to improve interhuman connectedness. However, the nurses also experienced barriers such as non-user-friendly access, lack of time and hesitance to write short messages.

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