The results of this study will inform ICU nurses about the effects, strengths and limitations of prompting relatives to author a diary for the patient. This will allow the diary intervention to be tailored to the individual needs of patients and relatives. The intervention consists of a hard-cover notebook that will be given to a close relative to write a diary for the critically ill patient while in the ICU. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that a diary written by a close relative of a critically ill patient will reduce the risk of developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the patient and relatives at 3 months post-ICU.

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