The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses has announced publication of a collection of articles on how to address post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) both for the patient and for the family.

The resource, “Symposium: Patient and Family Post–Intensive Care Syndrome” is published in AACN Advanced Critical Care, April-June 2016 edition.

Judy Davidson, RN, DNP, an evidence-based practice and research nurse liaison at University of California San Diego Health, with educational consultant Maurene Harvey, MPH, served as symposium editors and wrote an introduction.

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“The science supporting these strategies is young, but in the absence of strong evidence, we have a duty to take action in the best interest of the health of our patients and our community,” Davidson said in a press release from the AACN. “We hope that the guidance offered in these articles will provide a compelling impetus for change.”

The symposium comprises 4 articles:

  1. Implementing a mobility program to minimize post-intensive care syndrome
  2. A clinic model: post-intensive care syndrome and post-intensive care syndrome-family
  3. Developing a diary program to minimize patient and family post-intensive care syndrome
  4. Peer support as a novel strategy to mitigate post-intensive care syndrome
The last article outlines the outcomes from peer support groups run at six hospitals as a project funded by the Society of Critical Care Medicine as part of its THRIVE initiative to support survivors of critical illness to evaluate the feasibility of peer support and amassing a body of proven experience and skills to support ICU survivors.

Lead author Mark Mikkelsen, MD, MSCE, assistant professor, department of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia said: “Peer support groups can do more than help individual survivors. They position the survivors themselves as experts key to finding solutions.”

Two regular columns in the journal also address post-intensive care syndrome. Judy E Davidson and Karen Stutzer write about the ethics of post-intensive care syndrome and Joanna L. Stollings and colleagues write on medication management to ameliorate post-intensive care syndrome.

Source: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
Image credit: Pixabay

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post-intensive care, PICS, syndrome, PICS-F, diaries, support groups, peer support, ICU The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses has announced publication of a collection of articles on how to address post intensive care syndrome (PICS) both for the patient and for the family.