Surviving ICU stay is often just the first step in a long road to recovery for most. The aftermath of critical illness is often challenging for survivors and their caregivers who bear the burden of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Unfortunately, there is very little investigation on how survivors perceive their recovery from their lived experiences. Dr Somnath Bose lead authored  a paper, now published in the December issue of Respiratory Care titled “Hierarchy of Preferred Patient Outcomes Among Survivors of Acute Respiratory Failure,” that identified the priorities of patients and caregivers recovering from ICU admissions for Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF).

The study, conducted at BIDMC in Boston, included 40 eligible patients and 10 caregivers.  The patients had been admitted to  Intensive Care units at BIDMC for acute respiratory failure and subsequently discharged home.  A survey was administered after discharge, and at 3- and 6-months post discharge.

Study participants and caregivers prioritized first survival and then physical and cognitive recovery over six other domains – pain, pulmonary function, muscle/nerve function, fatigue, mental health, and return to work or other activities. Valerie Goodspeed was a co-author on the paper. This work was funded through the Department’s John Hedley Whyte Fellowship.

Dr. Bose and his team believe this study is an important start in identifying what matters most to patients and their families/caregivers during the most stressful and often life-changing process of recovery from critical illness.  Further work should include larger patient and caregiver cohorts from diverse backgrounds to delineate patient priorities so ICU and follow up care can be  better aligned to the needs of patients and their caregivers.

Dr. Bose commented:

“Over the past five decades, ICU care has achieved remarkable progress, significantly improving survival rates. With mortality declining, the next frontier lies in optimizing recovery after critical illness. A crucial first step is understanding how patients and their caregivers perceive the recovery journey. Capturing these perspectives can provide valuable insights to guide the development of tailored follow-up and rehabilitative services, ultimately improving long-term outcomes.”

See the full abstract of the article below:

Hierarchy of Preferred Patient Outcomes Among Survivors of Acute Respiratory Failure - PubMed