Critical care rehabilitation trials: The importance of 'usual care'

Abstract

Denehy and colleagues conducted a novel randomized controlled trial evaluating a rehabilitation intervention starting in the ICU and continuing through the outpatient setting, with 1 year longitudinal follow-up. While the intervention did not demonstrate improved patient outcomes, this study illustrates important issues regarding 'usual care' control groups in clinical trials. © 2013 BioMed Central Ltd.