Critical illness recovery and OT: Early and frequent interventions throughout the continuum of care

A stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) may be traumatizing and dehumanizing for patients and their families. For days, weeks, or months, individuals lose their routine, identity, and engagement in familiar meaningful activities. ICU survivors require holistic and dedicated care from rehabilitation professionals to help them return to their daily life. Occupational therapy practitioners are part of the rehabilitative team who address not only the physical impacts of acute critical illness on individuals, but also the cognitive and emotional challenges—which is different from the role of other rehabilitation professionals. Occupational therapy practitioners can initiate intervention from the moment that patients are medically stable in the ICU through their discharge home from the hospital or an inpatient rehabilitation setting; therefore, they have a unique and necessary role in critical illness recovery.