Connect
Recovery: Discharge from the Hospital
Like we did with Prevention, we will break down Recovery into separate pieces to best highlight the unique recommendations that each area of this syndrome (physical, mental, and emotional) has. But before we dive fully into this, let us spend some time discussing what leaving the ICU - and the hospital - may look like after critical illness/injury.
Critical illness/injury is often a life-changing event for the patient and family. Hours, days, weeks, and even months can be spent in the hospital with much of that time heavily depending on the assistance and guidance of health care professionals. Leaving the ICU and the hospital can often mean leaving behind that sense of security. This can lead to anxiety and can hinder the overall recovery process. However, knowing that this is a common experience for many in itself can be helpful. Other tips for successfully transitioning out of the hospital include:
- Working with a counselor and/or social worker prior to discharge to assist in coordination of needs
- Understanding that some people recover safely and fully at home immediately following hospital discharge, while others may need a transition period at a skilled rehabilitation facility
- Knowing that often times people won't be quite the "same" - at least initially - as they were before critical illness/injury. This is normal.
- Recovering from critical illness/injury often takes longer than one expects. Physical and Occupational therapists will often share with us the guidance that for every day spent in bed in the ICU one week of recovery is needed. This can quickly add up for many people. It's not uncommon for many to expect to be close to "normal" in a couple weeks following hospital discharge. However, our experience working with hundreds of patients recovering from critical illness is that it often takes much longer - upwards of many weeks to months - to regain that sense of normalcy.
Please view the following video created by the Society of Critical Care Medicine through the Thrive initiative for more information about discharging from the hospital following critical illness/injury: https://youtu.be/aMn8Yd2JInI
More Information & Support
Want more information? Please see the other posts in the Breaking It Down series on PICS where our post-ICU recovery experts help makes sense of this challenging experience.
Like
Helpful
Hug
Connect