Integrated Rehabilitation in HDU for Post-Intensive Care SyndromeLiberation in Patients With PICS

April 8, 2026 updated by: Hongying Jiang, MD

Effect of Integrated Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation in a High-Dependency Unit on Outcomes of Patients With Post-Intensive Care Syndrome: A Prospective Interventional Study

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is characterized by persistent physical, cognitive, and psychological impairments among survivors of critical illness. Although advances in intensive care medicine have reduced mortality, a large proportion of ICU survivors experience long-term functional impairments after discharge.

High-dependency units (HDUs) serve as transitional care settings between intensive care units and general wards. Many critically ill survivors who cannot directly return home are transferred to HDU for continued treatment and rehabilitation. However, evidence regarding systematic multidisciplinary rehabilitation interventions in HDU settings remains limited.

This prospective single-center interventional study aims to evaluate the effects of an integrated multidisciplinary rehabilitation model implemented in the HDU on physical, cognitive, and psychological outcomes among patients with post-intensive care syndrome. All enrolled patients will receive standardized integrated medical, nursing, and rehabilitation interventions. Multidimensional functional assessments will be conducted at baseline, during hospitalization, and before discharge from the HDU.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) includes physical weakness, cognitive impairment, and psychological disorders that occur after critical illness. Previous studies have shown that 50-70% of ICU survivors develop at least one PICS-related impairment within 6-12 months after discharge.

Current interventions mainly focus on ICU-based strategies such as the ABCDEF bundle, which can improve short-term outcomes but may not adequately address long-term functional recovery. Many patients remain severely debilitated after ICU discharge and require transitional care.

The high-dependency unit (HDU) represents a potential critical window for early rehabilitation intervention. Patients in this stage often have multiple functional impairments but remain medically stable enough to participate in rehabilitation programs.

This study will enroll patients transferred from ICU to HDU who meet diagnostic criteria for PICS. Participants will receive an integrated multidisciplinary intervention including medical management, respiratory rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, nursing care, and cognitive-psychological support.

Functional assessments will be conducted at baseline, every two weeks during hospitalization, and prior to HDU discharge. The study will evaluate changes in physical, cognitive, and psychological outcomes associated with this intervention.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

250

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shijingshan
      • Beijing, Shijingshan, China, 100144
        • Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥18 years
  • Diagnosed with post-intensive care syndrome
  • Transferred from ICU to HDU
  • Available paired admission and discharge data

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Death within 24 hours after HDU admission
  • Missing primary outcome data

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Integrated Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation in HDU

Participants transferred from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the high-dependency unit (HDU) who meet the diagnostic criteria for post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) will receive an integrated multidisciplinary rehabilitation program during their HDU stay.

The intervention includes coordinated medical management, respiratory rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, rehabilitation nursing, and cognitive and psychological interventions delivered by a multidisciplinary team.
Behavioral: Integrated Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation

Participants will receive a standardized multidisciplinary rehabilitation program implemented in the HDU, including:

Medical management Continuous treatment of primary diseases, medication optimization, complication prevention, and gradual removal of medical devices.

Respiratory rehabilitation Respiratory muscle training, airway clearance techniques, and breathing pattern training.

Physical rehabilitation Progressive mobilization according to patient tolerance, including passive exercises, active bed exercises, sitting training, standing training, and walking training.

Sessions are conducted 1-2 times per day, lasting 20-40 minutes each.

Rehabilitation nursing Position management, pressure injury prevention, device safety management, and sleep management.

Cognitive and psychological interventions Orientation training, cognitive stimulation activities, psychological support, and family participation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Physical Function (CPAx Score)
Time Frame: Baseline (within 48 hours after HDU admission) and at HDU discharge，assessed up to 2 days
Change in Chelsea Critical Care Physical Assessment Tool (CPAx) score from baseline to HDU discharge. The CPAx score ranges from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating better physical function.
Baseline (within 48 hours after HDU admission) and at HDU discharge，assessed up to 2 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hongying Jiang, MD

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Hongying Jiang, MD, Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital of Capital Medical University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 8, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2026bkky-hxk-PICS

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Mechanical Ventilation

Clinical Trials on Integrated Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Finland

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe