Wednesday, August 31, 2022 | The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
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Post–Intensive Care Syndrome
In the August issue of Health Affairs, Narrative Matters author Joanna Bayes describes her experience with post–intensive care syndrome after an accident, which you can listen to on the Narrative Matters podcast.
While Bayes’ treatment focused on her physical injuries from an accident, she was left to process "the brutality of my trauma and recovery" on her own.
She developed post–intensive care syndrome (PICS)–"new or worsening impairment
in physical, cognitive, or mental health status arising after critical illness and persisting beyond discharge from the acute care setting."
When Bayes returned home after a grueling recovery, it "did not feel like coming home," she says. "It takes time to incorporate trauma into a life, to re-form a sense of self and agency. There is a need to reflect on the shock and violence of trauma, on the deep-seated, internal disturbance it produces."
Without professional support for PICS, Bayes constructed her own path through recovery.
"In an ideal world," she asserts, "a multidisciplinary team including physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists would assess and address the complex physical and psychological factors experienced during a patient’s time in the [intensive care unit] that contribute to PICS."
Today in Health Affairs
Forefront, Audrey McClurg and coauthors explain how the White House Conference on Nutrition, Hunger, and Health, to be held in September, may provide a forum to discuss policy priorities that promote equity.
Kari Mader and coauthors argue that, for the best patient outcomes, our system must locate primary care at the center of patient care.
If you like the work we publish on Forefront and our podcasts, you can show your support by becoming a Health Affairs Insider, and as an added bonus, you'll get a free gift for joining.
Echoes Of Trauma: Post-Intensive Care Syndrome
Post–intensive care syndrome affects many patients discharged from the acute care setting. Read by author Joanna Bayes.
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewedjournalat the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking
content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
