Follow-Up Care for Critical Illness

(IMPACT-ICU Trial)

Overseen By Natasha A Jawa, MSc

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Queen's University

Disqualifiers: Neurological, Communication, English, Consent, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 3 Jurisdictions This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 5

Duration: 3 months

40 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if special ICU follow-up clinics can enhance recovery for individuals after leaving the intensive care unit. Many ICU survivors experience long-term issues such as memory problems, fatigue, and anxiety, which can also affect their caregivers. The trial compares those receiving follow-up care at these clinics to those who do not, assessing any differences in outcomes. Individuals who spent at least four days in the ICU or required a ventilator may be suitable candidates for this trial. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding how follow-up care can improve recovery for ICU survivors.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.

What prior data suggests that ICU follow-up clinics are safe for ICU survivors and caregivers?

Research has shown that ICU follow-up clinics are safe and well-received. These clinics aid recovery for individuals who have been in intensive care units (ICUs) by offering additional care after hospital discharge. Studies have found that these clinics can enhance long-term health for ICU survivors and their families, making them a valuable addition to standard care.

Reports of serious safety issues with these clinics do not exist. Instead, they offer extra support, such as informational pamphlets and diaries, to help patients and their caregivers understand and manage life after the ICU. Thus, while the clinics provide more follow-up care, they do not introduce any additional risks. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about ICU follow-up clinics because they offer a more structured and supportive approach to post-ICU care compared to the usual follow-up with a primary care provider, which can vary greatly. This method provides specialized attention at specific intervals after ICU discharge, involving both the patient and their caregivers, which is not typically part of standard care. Additionally, the bundled care intervention includes educational materials and diaries to help patients and caregivers manage recovery expectations and document progress, potentially leading to better long-term outcomes. This comprehensive approach aims to address the complex needs of ICU survivors more effectively than current scattered follow-up practices.

What evidence suggests that ICU follow-up clinics are effective for post-intensive care syndrome?

This trial will compare ICU follow-up clinics with standard care. Studies have shown that ICU follow-up clinics can assist former intensive care patients and their caregivers in managing ongoing issues such as memory, physical, and emotional problems. Research indicates that these clinics offer a structured approach to addressing these challenges by providing specialized care and resources. Initial findings suggest that attendees of these clinics may recover better than those receiving only standard care. The clinics also support caregivers, enhancing their well-being. Overall, ICU follow-up clinics show promise in aiding more effective recovery after a serious illness. ^{3 4 6 7 8}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for ICU survivors who have experienced issues like delirium or difficulty weaning from medical support, as well as their caregivers. It's designed to help those dealing with long-term cognitive, physical, and psychiatric impairments after ICU discharge.

Inclusion Criteria

I am an adult who stayed in the ICU for 4 or more days or needed a ventilator and my doctor thinks I will live 6 more months or longer.

I am an adult caregiver for someone who survived ICU.

Exclusion Criteria

I can speak and read English and have no major neurological or communication issues.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive specialized follow-up care at 1- and 3-months following ICU discharge, including informational packages and diaries for journaling experiences.

3 months

2 visits (in-person) at 1- and 3-months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment, with assessments at 1-, 3-, and 6-months.

6 months

3 visits (in-person) at 1-, 3-, and 6-months

Qualitative Assessment

Focus groups are conducted to assess the qualitative impact of the intervention on patients and caregivers.

6 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• ICU Follow-Up Clinics

Trial Overview The study tests if follow-up clinics for ICU survivors can improve their long-term health compared to the usual care after leaving the hospital. The focus is on bettering both clinical outcomes and quality of life for patients and caregivers.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The intervention group will receive follow-up care through the specialized post-ICU follow-up clinic at KHSC at approximately 1- and 3-months following ICU discharge. Caregivers will also be invited to participate in the follow-up clinic along with the ICU survivor participant. In addition to receiving specialized follow-up clinical care, ICU survivor participants and their caregivers will also receive the following additional items as part of a bundled care intervention program (see Appendix): * Informational pamphlet on critical illness and expectations following ICU discharge * Flyer on critical illness and expectations following ICU discharge (brief version, which may be placed on the participant's refrigerator or other location at home as a consistent reminder) * Diaries in which the healthcare team, family members, and the patient themselves are able to journal their experiences, updates, progress, and barriers in the ICU and following discharge

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

The control group will receive generalized standard of care follow-up through their primary care provider. This follow-up is highly variable depending on the patient and their primary care provider.

ICU Follow-Up Clinics is already approved in United States, European Union, Canada for the following indications:

Approved in United States as Post-ICU Recovery Clinics for:

• Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) management
• Long-term cognitive, physical, and psychiatric impairments in ICU survivors and caregivers

Approved in European Union as ICU Follow-Up Clinics for:

• PICS management
• Caregiver support and psychosocial effects mitigation

Approved in Canada as PICS Management Clinics for:

• Long-term cognitive, physical, and psychiatric impairments in ICU survivors and caregivers
• PICS management

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Queen's University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

382

Recruited

122,000+

Queen's University

Lead Sponsor

Kingston Health Sciences Centre

Lead Sponsor

Trials

312

Recruited

112,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

A systematic review of five studies involving 1707 ICU survivors found that follow-up services may have little to no impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and all-cause mortality up to 12 months after ICU discharge, indicating limited efficacy in addressing post-intensive care syndrome (PICS).

The evidence regarding the effectiveness of ICU follow-up services in reducing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and improving physical and cognitive function is very low, highlighting the need for more robust studies to determine the best approaches for supporting ICU survivors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Follow-up services for improving long-term outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Schofield-Robinson, OJ., Lewis, SR., Smith, AF., et al.[2023]

Intensive care unit follow-up clinics are essential for helping survivors of critical illness recover from post-intensive care syndrome, addressing their physical, cognitive, psychiatric, and social needs.

Successfully establishing these clinics requires overcoming challenges such as securing adequate resources, assembling a dedicated multidisciplinary team, and effectively identifying patients who will benefit from the program.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meeting the Challenges of Establishing Intensive Care Unit Follow-up Clinics. Butcher, BW., Eaton, TL., Montgomery-Yates, AA., et al.[2023]

Healthcare providers recognize the need for a specialized follow-up clinic for intensive care unit survivors to address the complex cognitive, physical, and mental impairments associated with post-intensive care syndrome (PICS).

The proposed clinic model emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, combining diagnostics and targeted referrals to specialists, although there is some disagreement on the specifics of implementing the referral system.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Experiences, opinions and expectations of health care providers towards an intensive care unit follow-up clinic: Qualitative study and online survey. Rohr, M., Weiß, A., Bein, T., et al.[2021]

The project aims to standardize follow-up care for ICU patients at risk of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) by establishing clear outcome variables and assessment tools, based on a comprehensive literature review and expert collaboration.

The recommendations include guidelines on the frequency of follow-up visits, the healthcare professionals involved, and validated assessment tools in Spanish, which will help in the early detection and management of long-term complications after ICU discharge.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Follow-up program after intensive care unit discharge. Busico, M., das Neves, A., Carini, F., et al.[2021]

ICU survivor follow-up clinics are becoming increasingly important as more patients survive intensive care, but the effectiveness of the interventions provided in these clinics is still not well understood, based on a review of 33 reports.

The strongest evidence supports the use of prospective diaries to help prevent or improve psychological symptoms in ICU survivors, while other interventions lack robust support, highlighting a need for more research in this area.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Critical Care Follow-up Clinics: A Scoping Review of Interventions and Outcomes. Lasiter, S., Oles, SK., Mundell, J., et al.[2018]

A study of 12,862 ICU survivors found that nearly half (46.2%) experienced unplanned readmission or death within a year after discharge, highlighting the need for effective follow-up care.

The developed risk score can identify high-risk patients based on factors like pre-existing mental health disorders and the severity of critical illness, allowing for targeted referrals to follow-up services to potentially improve outcomes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Development and validation of a risk score to predict unplanned hospital readmissions in ICU survivors: A data linkage study. Pilowsky, JK., von Huben, A., Elliott, R., et al.[2023]

The PINA study is a pilot randomized controlled trial involving 100 ICU patients aimed at evaluating the feasibility and potential efficacy of a follow-up clinic designed to support ICU survivors suffering from post-intensive care syndrome (PICS).

The intervention includes providing information, consultations, and networking support to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients, with outcomes assessed at 6 months post-discharge.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Piloting an ICU follow-up clinic to improve health-related quality of life in ICU survivors after a prolonged intensive care stay (PINA): study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial. Rohr, M., Brandstetter, S., Bernardi, C., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11574462/

ICU follow-up services and their impact on post-intensive ... This review will synthesise and map the current types of follow-up services for ICU survivors and summarise the impact of follow-up services on PICS.

2. ccforum.biomedcentral.com ccforum.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13054-025-05634-x

Post-intensive care unit clinics: models and implementation Hybrid post-ICU clinic models may offer a feasible pathway for improving follow-up care in LMICs, especially when tailored to local constraints.

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949788423000369

Post-ICU Clinic Survivors of critical illness are at risk of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Post-ICU clinics are one way to help patients with PICS and to assist patients ...

4. aacnjournals.org aacnjournals.org/ajcconline/article/34/4/313/32772/It-Is-Time-for-the-US-Health-Care-System-to

It Is Time for the US Health Care System to Address Critical ... Advancements in critical care medicine have led to improved survival rates for intensive care unit (ICU) patients.1 However, ICU survival is ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10785368/

Post-intensive care syndrome follow-up system after hospital ... A PICS follow-up clinic was proposed as an approach to evaluate ICU survivors and their families' long-term outcomes [15]. In 2006, PICS follow- ...

6. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949788423000035

A Narrative Review of Post-Intensive Care Syndrome Surviving critical illness does not always equate to recovery, with its aftermath frequently complicated by post-intensive care syndrome (PICS).

7. atsjournals.org atsjournals.org/doi/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201812-913FR

Approaches to Addressing Post–Intensive Care Syndrome ... Burgeoning interest in improving long-term outcomes for ICU survivors has driven an array of potential interventions to improve outcomes associated with PICS.

8. bmjopen.bmj.com bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/11/e089824

ICU follow-up services and their impact on post-intensive ... This review will synthesise and map the current types of follow-up services for ICU survivors and summarise the impact of follow-up services on PICS.