OBJECTIVE: Among sepsis survivors, during recovery and thereafter, it is not established if patients resume or improve their quality of life. The study objective was to assess change in health status among sepsis survivors over a 6‐month period. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, cohort study involving 701 patients with severe sepsis of presumed infectious origin from 53 hospitals. Patients' health status was assessed at day 30, 60, 90 and180 using EuroQoL‐5D and a visual analog scale. Instruments were completed by the patient while in hospital and follow‐up assessments were performed by telephone interview. RESULTS: For this interim analysis, 93 patients had completed health state information for day 30, 60, 90, and 180. Mean (SD) age was 60 + 17 years and 48% were female. The number of patients remaining in the hospital decreased from 56% at day 30 to 7%, thereafter. The average utility score/VAS score at each time point was: 0.53/0.61 (day 30), 0.62/0.68 (day 60), 0.68/0.71 (day 90), 0.69 (p < 0.0001)/0.72 (day 180). Based on patients' subjective assessment of their health status during the last 12 months, 60% had improved or maintained their health. The improvement in utility scores was influenced primarily by changes in mobility, self‐care, and usual activities. Pain and anxiety appeared to have a minimal influence on overall improvement in health status. At day 30, 28% of the patients reported no problems in walking, compared to 58% at day 180. Likewise, 48% and 26% of patients reported no problems with self‐care and performing usual activities at day 30, respectively, and 67% (self‐care) and 47% (usual activities) at day 180. CONCLUSION: Sepsis survivors experienced a continual improvement towards population‐based normal levels in their health utility scores over a 6‐month period. Improvements in physical activity, self‐care and usual activities were predominantly associated with improved health utility.

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