Strategies for post ICU rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
As numbers of patients who survive a critical illness increase, often within a context of comorbidities and acquired physical, mental or cognitive sequelae [postintensive care syndrome (PICS)], identifying effective recovery and rehabilitation strategies is paramount. In this review, we discuss recent studies that inform our developing understanding for improving the recovery trajectory for survivors of a critical illness during the postintensive care and posthospital periods.


RESULTS
New studies, although at this stage often presented as pilot work, provide important beginning messages for improving recovery from a critical illness. Some pilot studies demonstrate promise of effective interventions, whereas other studies offer useful baseline information for improving the power of tested interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
Innovative rehabilitation and recovery strategies during the postintensive care and posthospital periods are now being published. Further research with larger sample sizes, well-documented usual care and intervention arms and in different critical illness cohorts is required to demonstrate the optimal approaches for screening, implementation, outcome assessment and follow-up periods for rehabilitation interventions in the postintensive care phase of a patient's recovery.
Department of Physiotherapy, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Linda
L
Denehy
Doug
D
Elliott
D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008603:Mental Health; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology*; D012306:Risk; D013577:Syndrome; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome