Occupational therapist-guided cognitive interventions in critically ill patients: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Intensive care unit (ICU) delirium is a common complication of critical illness requiring a multimodal approach to management. We assessed the feasibility of a novel occupational therapist (OT)-guided cognitive intervention protocol, titrated according to sedation level, in critically ill patients. METHODS: Patients aged ≥ 18 yr admitted to a medical/surgical ICU were randomized to the standard delirium prevention protocol or to the OT-guided cognitive intervention protocol in addition to standard of care. The target enrolment number was N = 112. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the study enrolment period was truncated. The primary outcome was feasibility of the intervention as measured by the proportion of eligible cognitive interventions delivered by the OT. Secondary outcomes included feasibility of goal session length (20 min), participant clinical outcomes (delirium prevalence and duration, cognitive status, functional status, quality of life, and ICU length of stay), and a description of methodological challenges and solutions for future research. RESULTS: Seventy patients were enrolled and 69 patients were included in the final analysis. The majority of OT-guided sessions (110/137; 80%) were completed. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) number of sessions per patient was 4.1 (3.8). The goal session length was achieved (mean [SD], 19.8 [3.1] min), with few sessions (8/110; 7%) terminated early per patient request. CONCLUSION: This novel OT-guided cognitive intervention protocol is feasible in medical/surgical ICU patients. A larger randomized controlled trial is required to determine the impact of such a protocol on delirium prevalence or duration. STUDY REGISTRATION: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov (NCT03604809); registered 18 June 2018.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Le délirium est une complication courante à l'unité des soins intensifs et requiert une prise en charge multimodale. Nous avons évalué la faisabilité d'un nouveau protocole d'intervention cognitive dirigé par l'ergothérapeute, titré en fonction du niveau de sédation, chez des patients gravement malades. MéTHODE: Les patients âgés ≥ 18 ans admis dans une USI médico-chirurgicale ont été randomisés à suivre le protocole standard de prévention du délirium ou le protocole d'intervention cognitive dirigé par l'ergothérapeute, en plus du standard de soins. La cible de recrutement était N = 112. En raison de la pandémie de COVID-19, la période de recrutement de l'étude a été raccourcie. Le critère d'évaluation principal était la faisabilité de l'intervention telle que mesurée par la proportion d'interventions cognitives admissibles prodiguées par l'ergothérapeute. Les critères d'évaluation secondaires comprenaient la faisabilité de la durée cible de la séance (20 min), les issues cliniques des participants (prévalence et durée du délirium, état cognitif, état fonctionnel, qualité de vie et durée de séjour à l'USI), ainsi qu'une description des défis méthodologiques et des solutions pour les recherches futures. RéSULTATS: Soixante-dix patients ont été recrutés et 69 patients ont été inclus dans l'analyse finale. La majorité des séances dirigées par l'ergothérapie (110/137; 80 %) ont été complétées. Le nombre moyen (écart type [ET]) de séances par patient était de 4,1 (3,8). L'objectif de durée de la séance a été atteint (moyenne [ET], 19,8 [3,1] min), avec quelques séances (8/110; 7 %) interrompues prématurément à la demande du patient. CONCLUSION: Ce nouveau protocole d'intervention cognitive dirigé par l'ergothérapie est réalisable chez les patients en soins intensifs médicaux et chirurgicaux. Une étude randomisée contrôlée plus vaste est nécessaire afin de déterminer l'impact d'un tel protocole sur la prévalence ou la durée du délirium. ENREGISTREMENT DE L'éTUDE: www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03604809); enregistrée le 18 juin 2018.

Development and Content Validation of a Multidisciplinary Standardized Management Pathway for Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Treatment of hypoxemic respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome is complex. Evidence-based therapies that can improve survival and guidelines advocating their use exist; however, implementation is inconsistent. Our objective was to develop and validate an evidence-based, stakeholder-informed standardized management pathway for hypoxemic respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome to improve adherence to best practice. DESIGN: A standardized management pathway was developed using a modified Delphi consensus process with a multidisciplinary group of ICU clinicians. The proposed pathway was externally validated with a survey involving multidisciplinary stakeholders and clinicians. SETTING: In-person meeting and web-based surveys of ICU clinicians from 17 adult ICUs in the province of Alberta, Canada. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The consensus panel was comprised of 30 ICU clinicians (4 nurses, 10 respiratory therapists, 15 intensivists, 1 nurse practitioner; median years of practice 17 [interquartile range, 13-21]). Ninety-one components were serially rated and revised over two rounds of online and one in-person review. The final pathway included 46 elements. For the validation survey, 692 responses (including 59% nurses, 33% respiratory therapists, 7% intensivists and 1% nurse practitioners) were received. Agreement of greater than 75% was achieved on 43 of 46 pathway elements. CONCLUSIONS: A 46-element evidence-informed hypoxemic respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome standardized management pathway was developed and demonstrated to have content validity.

Effect of early cognitive interventions on delirium in critically ill patients: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: A systematic review of the literature was conducted to determine the effects of early cognitive interventions on delirium outcomes in critically ill patients. SOURCE: Search strategies were developed for MEDLINE, EMBASE, Joanna Briggs Institute, Cochrane, Scopus, and CINAHL databases. Eligible studies described the application of early cognitive interventions for delirium prevention or treatment within any intensive care setting. Study designs included randomized-controlled trials, quasi-experimental trials, and pre/post interventional trials. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias using Cochrane methodology. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Four hundred and four citations were found. Seven full-text articles were included in the final review. Six of the included studies had an overall serious, high, or critical risk of bias. After application of cognitive intervention protocols, a significant reduction in delirium incidence, duration, occurrence, and development was found in four studies. Feasibility of cognitive interventions was measured in three studies. Cognitive stimulation techniques were described in the majority of studies. CONCLUSION: The study of early cognitive interventions in critically ill patients was identified in a small number of studies with limited sample sizes. An overall high risk of bias and variability within protocols limit the utility of the findings for widespread practice implications. This review may help to promote future large, multi-centre trials studying the addition of cognitive interventions to current delirium prevention practices. The need for robust data is essential to support the implementation of early cognitive interventions protocols.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF : Une revue systématique de la littérature a été réalisée afin de déterminer les effets des interventions cognitives précoces sur l'évolution du delirium chez les patients en état critique. SOURCE: Des stratégies de recherche ont été mises au point pour explorer les bases de données MEDLINE, EMBASE, Joanna Briggs Institute, Cochrane, Scopus et CINAHL. Les études éligibles devaient décrire l'application d'interventions cognitives précoces pour la prévention ou le traitement du delirium dans un contexte de soins intensifs. Les types d'études retenues incluaient des études randomisées contrôlées, des études quasi expérimentales et des études pré-/post-interventionnelles. En se fondant sur la méthodologie Cochrane, deux réviseurs ont extrait les données et évalué le risque de biais de manière indépendante. CONSTATATIONS PRINCIPALES: Quatre cent quatre citations ont été extraites. Sept articles ont été retenus pour le compte rendu final. Six des études incluses présentaient un risque global de biais majeur, élevé ou critique. Après l'application des protocoles d'interventions cognitives, quatre études ont noté une réduction significative de l'incidence, de la durée, de la survenue et de l'apparition de delirium. Trois études ont mesuré la faisabilité des interventions cognitives. La majorité des études décrivaient les techniques de stimulation cognitive. CONCLUSION: Nous sommes parvenus à identifier quelques études ayant des tailles d'échantillon limitées décrivant des interventions cognitives précoces chez les patients en état critique. Un risque global élevé de biais et de variabilité au sein des protocoles limite toutefois l'utilité de ces observations pour leurs applications dans la pratique. Ce compte rendu pourrait susciter l'intérêt de chercheurs pour réaliser des études d'envergure et multicentriques examinant l'ajout d'interventions cognitives aux pratiques actuelles de prévention du delirium. Le besoin de données robustes est crucial pour soutenir la mise en œuvre de protocoles précoces d'interventions cognitives.

Epidemiology, Mechanical Power, and 3-Year Outcomes in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patients Using Standardized Screening. An Observational Cohort Study.

Rationale: Limited data on the epidemiology of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) using a standardized screening program exist.Objectives: To describe the population-based incidence of hypoxemic respiratory failure and ARDS using a prospective standardized screening protocol; and to describe the mechanical ventilation practice and the mechanical power and examine their association with 28-day and 3-year survival outcomes.Methods: A prospective standardized screening program for ARDS, as a quality improvement initiative, was initiated at four adult intensive care units over a 27-month period. An ancillary analysis of this observational cohort was performed. Patients requiring mechanical ventilation for ≥24 hours underwent prospective and consecutive screening using standardized ventilator settings. Patient physiological data and outcomes were collected prospectively through an electronic clinical-information system and retrospectively analyzed to apply Berlin criteria.Results: Screened were 7,944 patients, among which 986 (12.4%) had hypoxemic respiratory failure (arterial oxygen tension to inspired fraction of oxygen ratio ≤300), and 731 (9.2%) met criteria for ARDS. Age-adjusted incidence of hypoxemic respiratory failure and ARDS were 37.7 and 27.6 cases per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Patients sustaining the diagnosis of ARDS had a hospital mortality of 26.5% for mild, 31.8% for moderate, and 60.0% for severe ARDS and a 3-year mortality of 43.5% for mild, 46.9% for moderate, and 71.1% for severe ARDS. Mechanical power >22 J/min was associated with increased 28-day hospital and 3-year mortality. Determinants of mechanical power associated with lower 28-day hospital and 3-year survival included plateau pressure >30 cm H2O and driving pressure >15 cm H2O, but not tidal volumes >8 ml/kg of predicted body weight.Conclusions: Using standardized screening, a large proportion of patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure met criteria for ARDS. Increasing ARDS severity was associated with increased 28-day hospital and 3-year mortality. Increased mechanical power was associated with increased mortality. Potentially modifiable determinants of mechanical power associated with lower survival included plateau pressure and driving pressure.

Identifying essential elements to include in Intensive Care Unit to hospital ward transfer summaries: A consensus methodology.

PURPOSE: Transitions of care from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a hospital ward are high risk and contingent on effective communication. We sought to identify essential information elements to be included in an ICU to hospital ward transfer summary tool, and describe tool functionality and composition perceived to be important. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A panel of 13 clinicians representing ICU and hospital ward providers used a modified Delphi process to iteratively review and rate unique information elements identified from existing ICU transfer tools through three rounds of review (two remote and one in person). Qualitative content analysis was conducted on transcribed audio recordings of the workshop to characterize tool functionality and composition. RESULTS: A total of 141 unique information elements were reviewed of which 63 were identified by panelists as essential. Qualitative content analyses of panelist discussions identified three themes related to how information elements should be considered when developing an ICU transfer summary tool: 1) Flexibility, 2) Usability, and 3) Accountability. CONCLUSION: We identified 63 distinct information elements identified as essential for inclusion in an ICU transfer summary tool to facilitate communication between providers during the transition of patient care from the ICU to a hospital ward.

Identifying What Is Known About Improving Operating Room to Intensive Care Handovers: A Scoping Review.

The purpose is to provide a descriptive overview of relevant material exploring improvement of handovers from the operating room (OR) to intensive care unit (ICU). An online search (MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Joanna Briggs), including gray literature and relevant reference lists, was completed. In all, 4574 unique citations were screened and 155 full-text reviews performed; 65 articles were included in the final analysis. The majority of articles discuss an ideal structure for handover (n = 63; 97%); 43 (66%) articles mentioned strategies for implementing such an approach. Only 21 (32%) explicitly described formal quality improvement (QI) methods. Few explored project sustainability and impact of a structured handover on patient safety outcomes (n = 15, 23%). Published literature suggests that there is a significant gap in evidence of measured patient outcomes from standardization of OR to ICU handover processes. Identifying formal QI strategies used to sustain standardized handover processes will allow accurate measurement of patient outcomes.