*IMPORTANT NEW RESEARCH FINDING* Just published Systematic Review by Honarmand et al, 2020:
“Patients with ARDS had higher prevalence of cognitive impairment than mixed ICU patients at ICU discharge”.
This finding is really important for OTs to note. A thread. https://twitter.com/icurehab/status/1248029357030989824
“Patients with ARDS had higher prevalence of cognitive impairment than mixed ICU patients at ICU discharge”.
This finding is really important for OTs to note. A thread. https://twitter.com/icurehab/status/1248029357030989824
A whopping 82 [78-86]% vs 48 [44-52]%. This is at discharge from ICU and illustrates just one of the unique roles that OTs will be providing to this patient cohort.
OTs have been previously cited (Algeo & Aitken, 2019) as key in addressing NICE Guidelines ’Rehabilitation after critical illness in adults’, particularly with a focus on non-physical morbidity.
This isn’t to say that there’s no role in physical morbidity for OTs. It’s huge - positioning, seating, pressure care, splinting, maintenance of ROM, etc. However, let’s look at some key facts of OTs in ICU and beyond at discharge from this unit from a non-physical morbidity POV.
What we know:
Non-physical morbidity includes impaired cognition (e.g reduced processing speed/capacity, memory loss, executive dysfunction), psychological distress and delirium (which is often a result of ICU Rx such as sedation, or sleep deprivation).



- The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale
- The Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU
- The Wessex Head Injury Matrix
- The Oxford Cognitive Screen
- MOCA
(Algeo & Aitken, 2019)

- Orientation Boards
- Functional Re-Training
- Cognitive Apps (for higher functioning)
- Breathlessness Mx
- Anxiety Mx
- But what’s really important as part of Rx is the appropriate onward referral for ongoing rehab on discharge from ICU.



https://twitter.com/srsmcmasteru/status/1247969775797575684?s=21 https://twitter.com/srsmcmasteru/status/1247969775797575684