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Recovery after critical care

A stay in critical care can be a stressful experience, and may have long term effects on your health and wellbeing. This applies to both patients and their close family.

It can take a long time for you to recover after having a critical illness. Recovery can be easier if you get the right support.

InS:PIRE programme

The InS:PIRE programme supports those who have spent time in ICU and gives them the tools to move forward with their lives.

InS:PIRE promotes recovery in all three aspects:

  • physical
  • mental
  • social

This is achieved through various forms of support, including:

  • medical
  • nursing
  • physiotherapy
  • psychological
  • pharmacy
  • social

How InS:PIRE provides support

We aim to support you in your recovery by:

  • listening to your difficulties
  • giving advice
  • ensuring that you have the help in place that you need

Who will provide support

You will receive support from:

  • doctors
  • nurses
  • occupational therapists
  • physiotherapists
  • pharmacists
  • psychologists

Family and carers

You can bring a member of your family or a carer along to the InSPIRE programme.

They might also be having some difficulties while giving support, such as:

  • changes in their mood
  • sleep
  • work
  • finances

How to take part in InSPIRE

You will be referred to the InSPIRE programme by one of the critical care team that looked after you while you were in hospital.

You will receive a letter a few months after you are discharged from the hospital to invite you to come along to the programme.

We will ask you to complete some questionnaires to measure how you are managing. These questionnaires will be repeated at the end of the InSPIRE programme to understand how you have progressed.

Programme outline

The InSPIRE programme runs for four weeks, and includes:

  • three individual appointments
  • three group support sessions

Your individual appointments will be with:

  • a doctor and nurse, who will explain what happened during your critical care stay and answer your questions. They will write down what you have discussed with them, and you will be given this to keep.
  • a pharmacist will review the medicines that you are taking. They will tell you if these are still appropriate and will see if you need to be prescribed anything else.
  • a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist. They will look at any physical difficulties you might be having and how these are affecting your everyday activities. They will help you to set goals for things that you want to be able to do. They will make a plan with you about how you will achieve your goals.

Groups

We encourage people in group sessions to support each other. Patients and carers often find that other people may have had similar problems to themselves.

Some find it helpful to share their stories in a relaxed sociable environment, although there is never any pressure. We will guide you, and everything you say in the group is confidential.

Group topics include:

  • activity limitations
  • weakness
  • managing breathlessness
  • fatigue
  • brain fog
  • emotional reactions

After InSPIRE

We will get in touch with you three to six months after the programme has finished. At this point, we will ask you to repeat the questionnaires to see how you are progressing.

Rehabilitation

After a stay in critical care, you may have:

  • a drop in your fitness levels
  • aches and pains in your muscles and joints
  • problems with balance and falls
  • a loss in strength
  • difficulty with day to day activity
  • money worries and problems with returning to work
  • poor memory and concentration
  • fatigue (extreme tiredness)

During your rehab assessment, these issues will be discussed. Your therapist will support you to make a plan to achieve your rehab goals.

Depending on your difficulties, your rehab plan might include:

  • exercises that improve strength, balance, and fitness
  • information on managing return to work and daily roles
  • use of activity diaries and pacing to manage your tiredness
  • breathing pattern practice
  • ways to improve your memory and concentration

Medicines

The medicines which you usually take for your long term health conditions (like heart and respiratory diseases) may have been stopped when you were taken to hospital because you were so unwell.

Once you are better, a review of your medicines is important. This helps to make sure you are taking all the medicines you need.

The pharmacist will:

  • look at the medicines you are taking, to make sure that you have all the medicines you need
  • ensure the dose of each medicine is correct for you
  • find out if you are having any medicine related problems

The pharmacist will make sure you understand the reasons for taking the medicines you are prescribed.

Critical care stay summary

A doctor and a nurse will explain what happened when you were a patient in intensive care.

They will give details about:

  • why you needed to be cared for in the intensive care ward
  • any procedures or operations you had
  • the medicines that were needed to help you
  • any complications you had

You may not remember much about your intensive care stay because you may have been given some medicine to make you sleepy, to help your body rest and recover.

Some people have memories about their time in intensive care. These can be strange and sometimes a bit frightening.

You will have the chance to ask the doctor and nurse any questions you have about this time. They will try to explain anything you don’t understand or remember.

You can request a copy of your summary to take away with you after your appointment.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran app

For further support, see the Life After Intensive Care section of the NHS Ayrshire & Arran app.

The app is available to download for your mobile device:

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