Instruments to Assess Physical Impairments in Post-Intensive Care Syndrome: A Systematic Review / 중환자간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the instruments utilized to assess physical impairment in post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors.METHOD: Online databases searched were MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Embase. Studies that met the following criteria were included 1) the study population exclusively had experience with ICU admission; 2) the study assessed pulmonary, neuromuscular, and physical functions; and 3) the study was published in English language journals after 2007.RESULTS: A total of 56 instruments (2 pulmonary, 25 neuromuscular, 29 physical function) from 94 studies were reviewed. They were classified into self-report, observation, and measurement according to the type of assessment. No instrument measured all 3 areas of physical impairment. Five instruments were originally developed for the ICU patients. The most frequently applied instruments were the Medical Research Council and the 36-item Short Form Survey (physical component summary), which were used in 23 studies each. Only 13.8% of reviewed studies reported the reliability or validity of the instruments.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the appropriateness of instruments assessing physical impairment in PICS cannot be guaranteed. Despite the multidimensional concept of physical disabilities, most studies measured only one area, and studies that reported psychometric properties were limited. Accordingly, we propose to develop a unique and multifaceted instrument for ICU survivors.