Intensive Care Patients

Abstract

Patients participating in medical rehabilitation often come from an intensive care unit (ICU) environment and are recovering from critical illnesses or traumatic injuries. During ICU hospitalization patients can experience difficulties including lost autonomy, fear/anxiety, depressive symptoms, confusion/delirium, sleep/wake cycle dysregulation, or pain. These issues not only affect ICU and acute care hospitalization, but also can affect the rehabilitation process and recovery. Key concepts in understanding the complexities of some common intensive care diagnoses, psychological issues experienced during intensive care hospitalization, and outcomes associated with critical illness are outlined in this chapter. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)