After the ICU: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Supporting Critical Illness Survivors

An essential guide to navigating the journey to recovery from critical illness Millions of patients are admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) each year, one third of whom need a ventilator machine to help them breathe. These critically ill patients may develop health problems related to their illness, injury, ventilator or other treatments. Such problems can continue after the patient leaves the hospital. LANGE: After the ICU: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Supporting Critical Illness Survivors fills a gap in the existing literature on the subject. Arranged in three sections, the book addresses the ways in which care in the ICU can impact life afterwards and provides a framework for the recovery process. The early chapters feature personal stories from patients describing their life-threatening illness, journey to recovery, and the clinicians who helped them along the way. In the following chapters, clinicians, physicians, nurses, and patients' family members share their unique perspectives on the recovery process. Each chapter includes a specific section dedicated to tips for clinicians. * Includes key concepts of care across the arc of the ICU patient encounter * Evidence-based interventions are presented and summarized in a practical stepwise approach * Features accounts from patients, clinicians, physicians, nurses, and others involved in the care and recovery process