Electronic Intensive Care Unit Diaries: A Scoping Review of Applications, Implementation, and Evaluation.

AIM(S): To map evidence on the applications, implementation, and evaluation of electronic intensive care unit diaries in critical care.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

METHODS

Joanna Briggs Institute methodology guided eligibility, independent screening and data extraction, and descriptive and frameworkguided narrative synthesis. Methodological quality was not appraised because the review aimed to map evidence.

DATA SOURCES: Twelve databases and two registries were searched from inception to 17 September 2026.

RESULTS

Fifteen sources of evidence published between 2012 and 2026 represented eight distinct programmes; sources were from the Netherlands, China, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom. Five broad platform or delivery modes were identified: web-based platforms, mobile or tablet applications, an online document platform, an electronic clinical record-integrated diary module and digital scrapbooking. Framework-guided synthesis identified multilevel implementation determinants, while reported strategies varied by implementation stage. Evaluations covered platform- and user-related, implementation and patient- and family-related outcomes, but evidence on sustained implementation and benefits was limited.

CONCLUSION

Electronic intensive care unit diaries are implemented through diverse digital platforms and participation models, but implementation and evaluation remain heterogeneous, and evidence on sustained use and benefits is limited.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Nurses and organisations should clarify writing roles and content boundaries, integrate diary work into workflows, provide training and support, protect privacy and monitor sustained use.

IMPACT: The review identifies nursing-relevant requirements for workflow integration, role clarity, training, organisational support and privacy. Findings can inform nurses, nurse leaders, critical care teams and healthcare organisations implementing digital diary programmes.

REPORTING METHOD: Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews.