Swedish Consensus Recommends Follow-Up for Adult ICU Survivors

A multidisciplinary task force developed a Swedish consensus recommendation to address variation in care for adults recovering from critical illness. The group searched four databases in 2024 for existing systematic reviews, assessed the literature and discussed a draft in workshops with critical care nurses (n=30), follow-up clinic professionals (n=74) and patient representatives (n=4). The recommendation also underwent external peer review. The authors note that it is a consensus recommendation, not a GRADE-based clinical practice guideline.

The recommendation is to offer follow-up to all adult patients whose ICU stay lasted at least 48 hours. Initial contact should occur within one week of ICU discharge to assess clinical status, identify early problems and support continuity of care. Patients and families should also be offered an outpatient visit 2–3 months after discharge, led by ICU clinicians and delivered by a multidisciplinary team when possible.

Assessment should use validated screening tools and objective tests, as appropriate, to evaluate post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, cognition, physical function and health-related quality of life. Patients with identified problems should be referred to appropriate healthcare providers or specialist services. The framework is intended to support more structured and equitable follow-up; it does not establish the effectiveness of a specific rehabilitation pathway.