Project Summary
Our project addresses one of the pressing issues of ICU medicine—the post-ICU patient. Research has documented deficits faced by survivors of intensive care, specifically neuro-cognitive dysfunction, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. These long-lasting disabilities present an important and prevalent public health concern. Although clinicians are increasingly aware of the challenges that face ICU survivors, they do not frequently discuss this with patients or families. As a result, patients often face a bewildering number of care transitions—from hospitals to long-term care to nursing facilities—without a roadmap or community. Furthermore, there is little research that investigates which outcomes are important to ICU survivors and their families, or how to change care with these outcomes in mind.