Improving Transitions of Care after Critical Illness

Abstract

Post intensive care syndrome (PICS) is a recently recognized condition of a group of physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional impairments affecting patients recovering from critical illness. As a new disorder, PICS is not a familiar diagnosis in primary care and therefore, patients likely to experience PICS should attend a transitional care visit in an intensive care recovery clinic able to offer resources for recovery to improve patient outcomes. Visit attendance rates in this population lag comparable clinic attendance. A brochure was determined to be an instrumental tool for distributing PICS information, clinic availability, and contact information. Nurse-led education sessions with patients prior to hospital discharge combined with clinic brochure distribution increased clinic attendance 7.8% and decreased the clinic no- show rate 20% compared to historical clinic attendance rates in a four-month project time frame.